Have you ever received a gift and you weren’t sure what to do with it, you didn’t know its purpose? Through my years of teaching school, I received a variety of interesting gifts. Some of them I loved, some I didn’t care for and some I had no idea what to do with so they just collected dust in a closet until it was Christmas time and the family white elephant gift exchange rolled around.
God tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 the gifts of the Spirit are given to us and their purpose is clear [1 Corinthians 12:11]. The gifts of the Spirit are to bring honor and glory to Christ and build up the Body of Christ [1 Corinthians 14:12]. We aren’t given a gift for our individual pleasure. We’re given a gift to be used to bless the Body of Christ [1 Corinthians 14:7].
Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Have you asked Him? Jeremiah 33:3 reminds us “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” If you want to know what your gifts are, just ask the Lord. He’ll tell you. We need to know what our gifts are so we can use them to strengthen one another and build one another up, ultimately bringing glory and honor to Jesus. Romans 11:29 says “Gods gifts and His call are irrevocable.”
We all have different gifts [Romans 12:6]. Don’t just let them sit around collecting dust. Find out what your gifts are and then begin to use them. They serve no purpose when they sit dormant. In order for a spiritual gift to benefit anyone, it must be used. If you received a new iPad today, you wouldn’t just open it up and thank the giver, placing the iPad in a drawer to collect dust. You’d rip it open and immediately begin figuring out how to use it. You would read the manual and if that didn’t satisfy you, then you’d ask for help. The same is true with spiritual gifts. Open your gift; begin learning how to use it. There is a manual to help you [The Bible]. If you’re still unsure of how to use it after reading the manual, you can always call Tech Support [The Lord] and He will guide you every step of the way.