Most Christians have heard of the gifts of the Holy Spirit at one point in their journey with Christ. These are not physical gifts of this world, but are gifts of grace that are specific to you. Some may have more than one gift, while some may only have one, but use it to its full potential to glorify God. Each gift is needed, so we must never envy another person who may have the gift or gifts that we wish we had. Praise the Lord for what he has given you. Last night, we took a deep dive into three books written by Paul, where not only does he write about the gifts, but he mentions what the gifts are. To get a better understanding of the gifts of the Spirit, read 1 Corinthians 12:1-12. Here are two shorter examples from Romans and Ephesians:
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
Romans 12:6-8 NLT
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.”
Ephesians 4:11 NLT
Paul mentions many of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. He lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. These are given to empower us as Christians to do what we are called to do. There may be more gifts that some faithful Christians that aren’t listed, but are necessary to accomplish God’s plans for our lives. Peter tells us that we are “given everything we need”.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
The question then is, “What if I don’t know my spiritual gift?” There are many good tests you could take online if you don’t know what your spiritual gift is. You could also ask other Christians who you spend time with. There is a high chance that they could see what the Spirit has endowed you with. We believe everyone reading this should follow the link below and take a test for themselves. You may be surprised, and it may give you the confidence to serve the Lord in a new way. But remember, don’t be disappointed by your gift from the Spirit, but help it grow. It is much more valuable than any gift you will receive on Earth.
Feel free to share your gifts in the comments below! We would love to see in what ways fellow readers have been gifted.
Messengers of Mercy 