~ "What are your spiritual gifts???"

I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

We all have different talents. Some of us sing, some of us sew, some of us can cook, some of us are athletic, some of us are computer geniuses, some of us are math whizzes and some of us are artists. But our talents are not to be confused with our spiritual gifts! Those are the gifts that God gives us to spread his word and do his work. They are categorized as Ministry Gifts. They are listed in Romans 12. There are 12 of them. Yesterday, the group of women I went on retreat with and I inventoried our ministry gifts. We answered a series of questions which, when tallied, gave us an idea of which areas we are best suited to serve in. After spending time in prayer and honestly and accurately answering the questions, I have found (once again) that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing (who knew???) My results came very close in three areas: "Helps" - someone who is motivated to provide assistance to someone in leadership (as opposed to completing the actual task), "Service" - someone who has the ability to perform tasks with joy that benefit other and meets practical needs (with disregard to personal health and comfort I might add), and finally, "Prophecy" - someone who has the ability to proclaim God's truth without compromise. There were others that I scored decently on, but these three were at the top.

When we read all of Romans 12, we learn that God has a plan for us and that there are duties in the ministry that he calls us to. Some are called to teach, some to lead, some to give financial support, some have compassion, some are shepherds, some are evangelists and some encourage. Like a "real" job (secular, that is), if we aren't doing what we are good at, we don't do it quite as well as if it were something our talents complimented. The same is true for our work in the ministry. God has given us certain "spiritual gifts" that he wants us to use. We can't all be leaders! We can't all have the spotlight - that's reserved for Jesus - but what we do to spread his message of salvation brings glory and honor to God, which is as it should be.

Find out what your spiritual gift is and use it! Don't sit back and watch the rest of the congregation do everything. If your spiritual gifts aren't being used, or the people in your congregation don't what you to use them, find one that will! God wants us to work for him, he didn't give us these gifts to sit in pews and become frustrated. Spread his love, spread his word! Be his, totally and completely!

["Ministry Gifts Inventory" by Michael Miller, available through LifeWay Church Resources at www.lifeway.com]