Week 7 - Romans 12:3-8
Romans 12:3-8 (NLT)
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
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.
NEW PURPOSE, NEW GIFTS
God gives different people different gifts that are needed for the work of the gospel to flourish. His grace often enhances the abilities and inclinations people already have; but sometimes, when God’s spirit takes over someone’s life, new gifts emerge that neither they nor anyone else imagined them having before.
It is vital for us to recognize the value of theses different gifts - and for those to whom they have been given to activate them as part of the sacrificial self-offering spoken of at the start the chapter. The passage has a "get-your-sleeves-rolled up” feel to it and it’s important to note that none of the gifts in this passages are designated for “ministry professionals only”. Everyone who has received a new life in Christ has these gifts available to them.
Ask the Lord to reveal which of these gifts He has graciously given you and get after it. Expect the work to be hard and keep at it even when you’re not in the mood. Through it all, a grace, joy, and satisfaction will manifest in your life that honors Jesus and advances His Kingdom.
QUESTIONS
Which of these gifts do you think God has given you? Where in the church or the community can you activate them?
What obstacle do you see hindering you from using that gift? Pray that God would remove it or give you the strength to overcome it.