How to cultivate your gifts to serve other people
Four practical ideas from Waverley Abbey College about how to use our gifts to serve those around us.
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What are your spiritual gifts?
That can sometimes be quite an uncomfortable question to ask yourself, or to be asked. We know that the Holy Spirit gives us gifts, we might be able to relay what gifts He has given us specifically, but where do we go from there? Sadly, the answer is often: not very far.
It’s not that we don’t want to use our gifts, but it's that we struggle to know how. When. Where.
We need to cultivate them. But how might we go about that?
Get your heart right
Love God, love all.
Our spiritual gifts are part of our relationship with God and are to be used for the benefit of others. So investing in our relationship with God every day is an invaluable part of cultivating them. He brings life to the gifts he has given us. As we know Jesus more closely, we’ll increasingly see things the way He seems them. We’ll know His heart and ours will become more like His – and that’s a brilliant place to be exercising our spiritual gifts from.
1 Corinthians 14:12 tells us that God gives us spiritual gifts in order to build up others. So to use them effectively we need to check that our motives are about seeing transformation in the lives of others, and not about being praised for how fantastic our gifts make us look.
Recognise your gifts
In 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul says to Timothy, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” This isn’t just Paul saying, “Don’t forget that God has given you a gift” – no, he’s being very specific here. He’s even going into detail about when the particular gift was given. There would have been no mistaking what he was referring to.
In the same way, we need that reminder to not neglect our specific gifts. We have been given them, and it’s not just acceptable for us and those around us to know what they are, it’s really important! Because we are part of the body of Christ. We are all on one mission, together.
The benefit of recognizing our gifts is that we can start to identify situations in which we can use them and opportunities in which we can explore more about them.
Practice, practice, practice
This part can be where the nerves show up. But we need to step out.
It’s important to remember that even though we may feel that God has clearly shown us a gifting in a particular area, our efforts might not always go well – from our perspective at least. But the more we step out and trust God, the more we’ll see Him at work.
Some ways to do this might be by speaking to your small group leader about any potential opportunities within that setting or speaking to your church leader about how you could use your gifts within the wider church community and even beyond. And whether the opportunity seems small or large to you, remember that God is with you, so give it your all.
Invest in your learning
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he told him to ‘fan into flame the gift of God’ (1:6). That is, to invest in this spiritual gift. To devote time and effort to it.
First and foremost, our study of the Bible will be transformational in the outworking of our spiritual gifts. It is through Scripture that we understand more of what God has called us to. But let’s also recognise the wisdom and knowledge that God has given so many, so that they can teach and mentor us.
Learning from those who have experience in using their gifts to serve others is hugely helpful. And understanding more about practical theory and the people that we seek to help, will never be in vain. We can not only benefit from biblical wisdom, but from professional knowledge too.
For example, if someone has a gift of leadership, it’s helpful that they know about different and current perspectives on leadership, tried-and-tested practices in leadership, and the challenges of leadership today. It’s also important that they can gain an understanding as to what issues the people they are seeking to lead may be facing, and what their core needs are.
Learning is an investment. It requires time, and may require resources, but if it will equip us to do our part well in the mission of the body of Christ, it’s certainly worth it.
The Church brings the hope of God to the world. He has set out an important role for you in doing this. So get your heart right, recognise your gifts, practice, and invest in your learning.
