God's Gifts, Our Responsibility
Something dawned on me recently after discussing gifts with respect to God's provision and our responsibility in CBS last Monday. The question was, "How do you see in these verses [2 Timothy 1:1-7] a balance between God's sovereignty and provision for ministry and our own personal responsibility?"
The short answer was, "God gives us gifts according to his will. Our personal responsibility is what we do with those gifts."
We all want to be useful to the Lord. We ask, "What is God's will for my life?" and the most direct answer I find is in Romans 12:1-2. More specifically we can be a living sacrifice using our God-given gifts for his will and purpose and ministry.
I searched the keyword "gifts" on BibleGateway.com and found two types of these gifts: one seems to be for vocation, one seems to be for spirituality. Romans 12 discusses gifts that direct our vocation. See Romans 12:3-8. And 1 Corinthians 12 discusses spiritual gifts, which are manifestations of the Spirit, that direct our roles in the common good of the body of Christ.
So if we ask ourselves, "What does God want me to do with my life," we must first ask God, "Show me the gifts you have given me." Then it simply becomes our responsibility to use those gifts in a way that glorifies Christ.
For example, if I discover my gift is to teach children, then it is my responsibility to offer myself to teach children in Sunday school such that they see Christ in his glory.
Although this may be a stretch, perhaps this may be applied to determine what type of work best suits you. For example, if I discover I have a gift of leadership then perhaps I should seek to be a team manager at my job. Then that gives opportunity to serve God by leading diligently and honesty and fairness, not laying a large burden on the team members but give them resources they need to do their work well. And then I can acknowledge Christ if they are thankful.
This immediately led me to pray asking God to show me what his gifts are in me. Perhaps it can for you.
The short answer was, "God gives us gifts according to his will. Our personal responsibility is what we do with those gifts."
We all want to be useful to the Lord. We ask, "What is God's will for my life?" and the most direct answer I find is in Romans 12:1-2. More specifically we can be a living sacrifice using our God-given gifts for his will and purpose and ministry.
I searched the keyword "gifts" on BibleGateway.com and found two types of these gifts: one seems to be for vocation, one seems to be for spirituality. Romans 12 discusses gifts that direct our vocation. See Romans 12:3-8. And 1 Corinthians 12 discusses spiritual gifts, which are manifestations of the Spirit, that direct our roles in the common good of the body of Christ.
So if we ask ourselves, "What does God want me to do with my life," we must first ask God, "Show me the gifts you have given me." Then it simply becomes our responsibility to use those gifts in a way that glorifies Christ.
For example, if I discover my gift is to teach children, then it is my responsibility to offer myself to teach children in Sunday school such that they see Christ in his glory.
Although this may be a stretch, perhaps this may be applied to determine what type of work best suits you. For example, if I discover I have a gift of leadership then perhaps I should seek to be a team manager at my job. Then that gives opportunity to serve God by leading diligently and honesty and fairness, not laying a large burden on the team members but give them resources they need to do their work well. And then I can acknowledge Christ if they are thankful.
This immediately led me to pray asking God to show me what his gifts are in me. Perhaps it can for you.
posted by Gary at 12:20 PM
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