God’s word in 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
In the beginning of 2020, when Pastor Tom was our Transition Pastor at Immanuel, I was attending his Bible Study classes on Wednesday nights. I really enjoyed all of these classes, but there was one class in particular that I was especially interested in, and that had to do with discovering our Spiritual gifts. I had heard people talk before about Spiritual gifts, but I really had no idea what they were exactly, so I couldn’t wait to see about mine!
So, this particular Wednesday night, Pastor Tom passed out a “Spiritual Gifts” Survey taken from youngadults.lifeway.com. (You can find this survey by clicking on the link provided at the end of this devotion.) He passed the survey out towards the beginning of class so that we would have lots of time to work on it and answer the questions, and then we planned to talk about our answers and the gifts that we discovered about ourselves at our next meeting. Unfortunately, Covid 19 hit us soon after that, and the Wednesday night classes were cancelled indefinitely.
So, instead of talking about the gifts that I discovered with my classmates and Pastor Tom, I decided to look into them a little bit further by myself to get a better understanding. For example, I scored the highest in the gift of “Mercy.” After reading the definition of mercy on the “Gifts Explanation List” (also shared below from youngadults.lifeway.com), I decided to do a more extensive search on Google and look up what the strengths and weakness might be for someone with the gift of mercy. I did this by going to the Google Search Bar, and then typing in “Spiritual Gift of Mercy, Strengths and Weakness”, and then I visited several of the websites that came up and I took notes. This is what I found:
About Mercies:
· Those with the motivational gift of mercy have a divine ability to sense hurt and to respond to it with love and understanding.
· Those with the gift of mercy are kind and gentle.
· Prophets, organizers, and teachers have a tendency to project their attitude on others, whereas those who have the gift of mercy are more likely to sense how others are feeling.
· Mercies are drawn to other sensitive people.
· Mercies are the backbone of the prayer power in the church because they feel that they MUST pray. Nothing else can release their emotions or capture God’s heart better than prayer!
Strengths:
· When Mercies are walking in the Spirit, this gift equips them to reach out to people who are suffering but would likely be reluctant to tell others about their needs.
· Mercies are attracted to people in distress, people others might run away from.
· Mercies love the unlovable: handicapped, seriously ill, elderly, the wounded in spirit, and the outcasts.
· Mercies embrace humility because of their own weaknesses and failures.
Weaknesses:
· Mercies need to be needed. If they don’t get involved, they have a tendency to focus on their own hurts and fears.
· Mercies are indecisive, tossed to and fro by their emotions.
· Mercies often become rescuers, allowing others to depend on them instead of depending on God.
· Mercies often avoid conflict that is sometimes necessary. They would rather hide from their enemies or avoid them than confront them, even when they are in authority over them.
· Immature mercies tend to be smart and impatient, reflecting their own self-condemnation by lashing out at others who they consider to be as weak and sinful as they are.
So, Friends and Family, now that you know a little bit more about me (Stacia), wouldn’t you like to learn more about yourself too? What are the Spiritual gifts that God has blessed you with?
I have to tell you that it was so exciting for me to learn and understand more about myself while doing this! There were so many times while I was doing my research that I had an “AH HA!” moment, because I finally started to understand why I do some of the things that I do, and why I am drawn to the people that I am drawn to. Sometimes people have made me feel ashamed of my gift because they say that I allow people to take advantage of me, but in this study, I have learned that I have nothing to be ashamed of at all! God made me this way for a reason, and what some people might see as being taken advantage of, I see as loving like Jesus, unconditionally, and there is no shame in that!
In Ephesians 2:10, God’s word says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
With that being said Friends and Family, God is making us aware of the needs that He wants to meet, through us, for His glory, so take some time today to learn about your gifts, and then once you’ve identified them put them into action! Oh, and I would love to hear what you find out! God Bless you on your journey!
Here are a few things Scripture tells us about spiritual gifts taken from youngadults.lifeway.com. Take some time to reflect on these verses today and then pray and ask God to reveal your special gifts to you.
· Each believer is given at least one gift (1 Corinthians 12:7).
· The Holy Spirit determines who receives which gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11).
· Each gift is equally valuable (1 Corinthians 12:21-26).
· We are to use our gifts to serve others for the benefit of the body (Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:12).
· We are commanded to use our gifts (1 Peter 4:10).
· Exercising our gifts will help us develop spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:13).
Prayer:
Abba thank You for blessing us all with our own unique Spiritual gifts. Thank You for providing us with the tools that we need to utilize these gifts, and for the wisdom to know how to use them in a way that glorifies You. Thank You Abba for leading us to learn more about ourselves which in turn teaches us so much about You too. You are just so amazing Abba! I can’t even explain the feeling of joy that only You can give to us when we discover something new, or better yet, when You reveal these things to us. It is overwhelming, exciting, and life changing, and we thank You for it.
In Jesus Beautiful Name,
Amen.