"What Makes You You?", Part 2

 

“What Makes You You?”

(Please read the above article beforehand.)

“Your hands shaped me and made me.” (Job 10:8, emphasis added).

Part 2: Your Spiritual Gifting

“Gifted Children”

 

The 1989-1993 ABC comedy/drama series “Doogie Howser, M.D.” featured a prodigy who became a licensed physician at the ripe old age of 14. While fictional, the program called attention to gifted children in academia, athletics and the arts and the issues they sometimes face in fitting in with their peers and meeting unreasonable performance expectations.

As believers in Christ we’re gifted children—that is, we all have divinely bestowed abilities which equip us for ministry (“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”—1 Peter 4:10, NLT, emphasis added). But “We have different gifts….” (Romans 12:6). What are they? Most Bible teachers list between 15 and 20 specific ones, some more noticeable while others are more supportive. Who receives each one(s)? That’s up to the sovereign will of God through the Holy Spirit (“It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”—1 Corinthians 12:11, NLT, emphasis added).

I’m no mathematician so I once asked a member of one of my churches who was to figure out how many combinations of gifts are possible. Using a math formula he concluded that if there’s a 50%-50% chance of someone having a particular gift there are 32,767 potential groupings if there are 15 gifts and 1,048,577 if there are 20. So the chances that any one of us knows someone with the exact array as we have are remote. Therefore we’re uniquely qualified to carry out any responsibility God might entrust to us.

A number of “spiritual gift inventories” have been developed to help God’s people identify and utilize their God-given abilities. While these can be helpful my experience has shown me that the best method to determine one’s gifting is to become involved in some ministry. If one finds this effort to be enjoyable and productive the chances are that he/she has discovered his/her gift(s). But (to borrow a title from a recent posting) “You can’t just sit there!” Give some opportunity a try by making yourself available to God as His gifted child.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan