When anyone showed up at my mom’s house around Christmas or around their birthday, she would go off into her gift room and look for something that she could give them. Most of the presents she gave were inexpensive and odd. One year she gave me pots and pans and cereal (among other things) for Christmas. There was a reason and a story, but I cannot remember the reasons or the story.
If my mom wanted to make sure that everyone had a gift, and maybe yours is too, how much more is our heavenly father a giver of gifts? 1 Corinthians 12 says that God has given each of us spiritual gifts, and Paul does not want the church to be uninformed about those gifts. In our churches we may not be seeing lots of people living out their spiritual gifts. The people who lead in the church service and the Sunday school teachers have gifts, and they get to use them, but maybe not many other people are using their gifts in the church for the common good. One of the gifts that Paul lists is a gift of healing. Wouldn’t you like to know if there was someone or some people in your church who have the gift of healing? You could make sure to have them praying over a critical medical issue. That might even be your gift, but you are uninformed that you have it.
The Bible does not tell us how to find them, but I’ve found at least three things to find them out: 1. Ask the Lord what your gifts are in the presence of people who have some sense about spiritual gifts. 2. Ask other people what they think your gifts are. 3. Get involved with a group of people who will let you try out your gifts.
We are the light of the world. We are the outpost of the Kingdom of God. These gifts that the Lord, the Holy Spirit, has given us are part of God’s plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ.
