Spiritual Gifts - More!

For Wednesday, October 18, 2023:

Romans 12:6-8 NLT: “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.”

Thoughts on Spiritual Gifts:

In college, I was put in front of 40 Middle school students, each of whom had a ukulele. Right then I knew that public education wasn’t a good fit for me. I wasn’t cut out to be a teacher, or so I thought! But nowadays, God uses me to teach about Jesus – lectures, sermons, videos. Turns out that teaching is fine if I’m given the right topic!

I knew a pastor who told his staff, “I’d better stop by the hospital and see Tom.”

His staff replied, “Why would you do that? You’re no good at it!”

A couple wanted to retire from the business they had founded. But their staff was all in place, and their business was largely answering the phone and writing up orders from existing customers. They could work it a few more years and give the proceeds to the church. Since a new worship center was under construction, the pastor encouraged them to do just that. This couple had the spiritual gift of giving.

Visionary Leadership is a rare commodity. Most leaders run things the way we’ve always done them. They do their best to solve problems that have already happened. But visionary leaders can look down the road and see where our church needs to be in five years. They have a goal in sight, an optimistic picture in their minds of a growth scenario, and a plan for getting there.

Blessings as you share your spiritual gifts with the world today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship