| “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” |
| —1 Timothy 4:14 |
Scripture teaches us that when we acknowledge the gift of salvation that God has given us through His Son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts to empower us and to enable us to serve God.
A lot of believers puzzle over this matter of discovering their Spirit-given, or spiritual, gifts. But, I believe that—in concert with the specific spiritual gifts mentioned in Scripture—God also uses the talents He has given us and then supercharges those abilities by a touch of the Holy Spirit, so that they transform into spiritual gifts fit for His service.
The most important aspect of spiritual gifts is that we commit ourselves to using whatever gifts God has given us. Take note of these words from the Apostle Paul. He is writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, and offers this advice, as recorded in 1 Timothy 4:14:
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
We are expected to nurture the gifts God has given us. We nurture them by learning all we can about the nature and use of the particular gift and then by actually using that gift to the fullest extent possible in the normal course of our daily lives. Our gifts were given to us for service. Thus, we need to use them for that service.
As another day opens before us, let’s ask ourselves how we might use our God-given gifts today. Surely we will find opportunities to realize the fullest possible potential of these wonderful gifts that God has given us. And, we will be able to employ them, on behalf of His Kingdom, to bring glory, honor, and majesty to Him.
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, August 14, 2017
