The Gifts in my Pocket

I have been teaching on Spiritual Gifts for many years. Recently I taught a three part lesson on this topic to my bible study group and God gave me a wonderful, fresh new take on this subject. After all these years of teaching and studying Spiritual Gifts, I have finally found a way to visually help us grasp ahold of where to focus and place our priorities when following hard after the Lord and using our gifts. I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been for me.

First let's look at some scripture:

S - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  Romans 12:4

O - If you have studied anything about Spiritual Gifts, you know that these are not "talents" or "hobbies" or interests. The scripture says that Spiritual Gifts are used for serving others and to share God's grace. But this doesn't just mean go out and feed the homeless or help build a house for a veteran. Serving in some capacity to help others is what we are ALL called to do, YES. Using your Spiritual Gifts is more than that and goes a step beyond.

At the point of salvation, when you accept Christ, you are acknowledging that you have messed up, that you cannot do life on your own, that you cannot save yourself, that you recognize that Jesus gave His life for yours and the debt has been paid. When you accept THIS gift, the greatest of ALL gifts, then the Holy Spirit enters the picture and indwells with you for all eternity as you live your life on earth. Our ONLY purpose is truly to serve the Lord as a response to what we have been given. It does not come from a place of obligation but of GRATITUDE for the life you have been given. (2 Cor. 9:6-8) It is up to us, with God's help, to direct others in His direction. Our Spiritual Gifts are the "tools" that we have been given to do that. To commune with and serve the Lord God Almighty is what we were created for so let's not waste it.

Does this mean it could be while you are working at your vocation or hobby? Yes. Does this mean if you are a student you could be using them while going to school and working some hourly wage job? Yes. Does this mean you could use your gifts while being a stay home mom, raising kids and volunteering? ABSOLUTELY. It says we use them as faithful stewards. So whatever we have been given, we need to be wise in how we use it, relying on HIS guidance and direction.

As faithful stewards, that means that if we are the "toe" in the body of Christ, and we try to act like the "elbow" then we will continually fail at what we are trying to accomplish and be frustrated, disappointed, and unfulfilled. We will go through life continuing to search for our purpose and our "calling". Not necessarily right away, but maybe after a time. So if you have taken some time to discover and be prayerful about your Spiritual Gifts, but aren't feeling fulfilled, chances are you are not using them in the right area. The scripture says we make "one body" and if the "toe" is not working right, the body of Christ could be limping a little :) Sometimes this just means you are working with kids when you should be working with adults. Or maybe you are working with the wrong people/personalities. There are many reasons why you could feel things are not working right so instead of praying about a specific request, maybe it's time to ask God to show you and be open to listening for His direction.

God in His infinite wisdom, in reality, will find a way to accomplish His purposes for He will use those that are making themselves available for His service. Sometimes certain parts of the body may feel as if they have been amputated. It is time to see a surgeon to get re-attached and the great surgeon of course is Christ! After all, it says that we belong to all the others and just because we may feel lost or disconnected does not mean that we stop "belonging". We can be reconnected!!! Glory to God!!! Unlike a toe that has been frostbitten, that may be cut off, God restores in every way when we rely on Him. NOTHING is impossible for God!

A - So how does this apply to YOU? Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I know my top 4-5 Spiritual Gifts?
2. Am I using them?
3. Am I fulfilled while using them?
If you do know them, GREAT! Let's put them to work. If you haven't put them to work yet, consider what gets your heart racing and look for how you can use your Spiritual Gifts in that area. If you are putting them to work but feel like you're going 90 miles an hour, maybe it's time to take a step back.

That's what happened for me 7 years ago and now I can say that I have found a way to say "no" and not feel guilty (I am someone that likes to say YES). Here's what I do...I discovered all of my spiritual gifts and ranked them in order. There are about 4 that are at the top of my list, then another small cluster, and then the bottom group. I divided this up based on looking at the scores of the assessment and finding the natural break in numbers...looking at which ones were closest together. Gifts are never used alone but always with another gift and sometimes, you use one of your top gifts in combination with a secondary gift so it's important to look at both of these categories.

Here is a visual that God gave to me one day that I find helpful in focusing on what I say yes to and what I need to say no to:
Your bottom group of gifts, those go in your back pocket. You do not usually notice what is there in your back pocket until you need what's in there. So leave those alone...don't look at them, think about them or give them any of your attention. Out of sight, out of mind. These are probably not really your gifts...they are low numbers for you but are usually things that we are ALL called to in service. If Hospitality is in your back pocket for example, like it is for me, then the only time you pull it out is when a need arises - I only use this gift a few times a year when they need people to serve hotdogs at our church's Fall Festival, a community outreach, or on Christmas Eve when they need someone to serve cookies. I don't need to feel guilty that I am not on the meals team, making and bringing meals to people all the time. Yes, I need to help when a friend is in need because this is what is asked of ALL of us, but this is not a gift that I should be giving all my time and attention to on a regular basis. I should not be volunteering to be a coordinator for something in hospitality, like a serve team or for a big event. That's just me. Think about what this might be for you.
Your middle group of gifts, those go in your front pants pocket. You can slip your hand in there and pull them out as needed. They are easily accessible and ready to use in partnership with your top group...kind of like a "side kick" in a super hero movie. In my middle group is Intercessory Prayer and I pull it out in partnership often with my top gifts of Encouragement, Faith, or Teaching. It is in complement to where God desires for me to give my main focus, so I pray with friends and those in my bible study group as requested. I do serve on the Altar Prayer Team monthly but other than that I am not called to be a major part of the prayer ministry. Think about what this might be for you.
Your top group of gifts go in your shirt pocket...you know that little pocket you might put a pen in close to your heart? These are the gifts you keep close to your heart and are indicators of where you should be spending your time. I pull these out weekly if not daily. I volunteer for things where I can use my gifts of Teaching and Faith primarily as a small group and discipleship leader on a regular basis. If it is not a ministry where I will be using my primary gifts weekly, I say no to committing to that ministry. I am not always perfect at that and I have had to sometimes bail on commitments I've made for various reasons but this generally works for me as a guide for where to serve. Think about what this might be for you.

There is no substitute for prayer. You cannot make decisions on how to use your Spiritual Gifts without prayer...you just can't. Oh you will try. You will say yes to things because they sound fun, or someone "needs" you, or your friends are doing it, or maybe you don't know your gifts yet so you're trying things out. That's ok. But if you aren't praying about what GOD wants you to do, even if it's a GOOD thing, then chances are great that you will end up either burned out, having to get out of your commitment, or delaying the blessings that God has in store for you. God WILL bless you when you are serving in the right area. I'm not talking about monetary blessings...I'm talking spiritual blessings. When you are within HIS will, it always works out...even if it's challenging or patience is required. It ALWAYS works out in HIS time when we are seeking Him. That's a promise I can make.

If you would like to take a Spiritual Gifts assessment, here is one that I have used that is easy to take and is an easy starting point. There are others out there and God may build up in you a stagnant gift for a time so be open to retaking an assessment again to continually rediscover how God is going to use you at different stages in life.
Spiritual Gifts Assessment

Finally, I think a discussion on Spiritual Gifts is very relevant at this time of year, when we are shopping and gift giving and making our wish lists. Let us all remember the greatest gift is Jesus and the gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit, in our Spiritual Gifts, are to be used and not wasted. Don't let fear or other obstacles get in the way of what God is calling you to do. Don't wait another day to BLESS someone and help them know the living Lord by using YOUR gifts.

P - My prayer today is for all those that know you to be encouraged to seek out a knowledge of their Spiritual Gifts and to be strengthened to use them. Help all of us Lord to be courageous, even when it's hard, to follow YOUR will and to be in prayer continually about what that means in our own lives. Open our ears to hear. May we be slow to speak and quick to listen. May we have the courage to say no to good things when it means we can say YES to the best things. I thank you Lord for your word that equips us and empowers us to know you more. And I thank you for your son Jesus who is the ultimate gift...may we always be grateful with our purposeful service. Amen.

Christmas is coming...the goose is NOT getting fat!

That's right people! I reFUSE, to get caught in the temptation of the "eating season" this year...that's what we call the days between Halloween and TMEA (around Valentine's Day for you non-Texas music educators) and it's just TORTURE! There is always candy, treats and occasionally buffalo wings lying around waiting to be eaten! Plus, fall is a busy time of year for all of us and we have a bad habit of eating out when we are on the run. My school district is doing a challenge as part of their wellness program and giving out $100 rewards in drawings for those that do not gain weight during the holidays. I decided to participate because I really need to be losing weight but my goal is to NOT gain any either. :)

My biggest obstacle right now is finding time to exercise. It's not the actual DOING of the exercise that's a problem...I can actually spend an hour or two at the gym doing some cardio and then strength training and then some stretching. I have great endurance and I can walk on the treadmill or ride the bike while watching a show or reading for HOURS! But I can only fit in this amount of time maybe every couple months so I get discouraged and don't go. I convince myself that I have to put on the workout clothes and then I'll have to take a shower again, and yada, yada, yada, before you know it, I'm sitting in my chair on facebook :) I need to re-train my brain to do a little every day instead of something more intense only occasionally. That, my friends, will be my new year's resolution, AGAIN! (every year...)

We actually are trying to work out a bargain with Santa this year. Normally, in the past we have asked Santa not to bring super-expensive gifts because we just don't think it's fair to the other kids in the world...so we have given Santa a budget normally of no more than $100 per kid in the past. For many, that is still a lot, but we know lots of families that have given Santa no budget at all and he is bringing them iphones and tvs, etc. However, this year we are asking Santa for a Wii. We have ulterior motives for this. #1: Mommy wants to use it to "play" the games with the kids and get some exercise. #2: the prices have gone down from previous years and at $199 on Amazon, Santa can still stay within the budget we have alloted him of $100 a kid. #3: well...everyone is getting them so we want to keep up with the Joneses. #4: since Mommy is going to be using it, it really is a gift for her too from Santa so he's actually getting more bang for his buck!

All this weight and exercise focus has me thinking about my spiritual workout as well and what I believe God is calling me to do. In the past, I have shared that I believe God is calling me to teach His word...not just when it's convenient or when I have the time or when I have the right equipment or the right clothes on. I am willing and eager to do His will and have been participating as a bible teacher on a "volunteer" basis at church for many years now. I know that in order for me to move into vocational ministry, I will have to step a little out of my comfort zone. And since it has been made clear to me that I am not supposed to be focusing on seminary or ordained ministry (at least for this time in my life) then I felt I needed to look at the other areas of my life that require my focus and take away from the time I could be spending with the Lord, in His word, preparing for a teaching ministry that HE has in mind for me.

That's why I have decided to not teach bible study this spring. It probably sounds opposite of what I'm saying, but Thursday is currently taken up with bible study and lunch with my group most weeks, which gives me less than 2 hours before the kids get home. AND with teaching my small group, that takes up many hours of prep as well. Focusing on teaching this group has been awesome and I love it and I have been able to fine tune some of my prep and speaking skills. I also am really fed personally by it and I find comfort in it. However, in order to give time to the Lord and really hear what it is He is giving to me to share with others (as in a bible study that I am developing), I cannot be focusing on a bible study that someone has already written. I cannot focus on the comfort of being with my group, safe and secure in a bible study someone else has written. God is asking me to step out of my comfort zone and finish what He is giving to me to share with others. I am in the process and I am wanting to give God my obedience to see to completion what He has started. I will keep you posted on how it's going...my biggest fear is not having the structure or accountability of a bible study small group every Thursday, but I am VERY much looking forward to having this bonus quiet time with just me and God. And perhaps I can get in a quick visit to the gym as well :)

One more update on us: This weekend we have had the privilege of providing foster care for 2 little precious girls. As you may recall, we were licensed back in June for foster/adoption and have been waiting for the right children to come along in the foster care system for us to adopt. By the way, it is a SLOW, TEDIOUS, FRUSTRATING process! But we believe whole-heartedly in God's timing! We really are wanting to adopt but agreed to provide respite (temp) care for 5 days for another foster family so they could attend their son's college graduation. The girls are 2 and 3 and so they have been a handful, but they are SUPER sweet, very huggy, and we have enjoyed them immensely. They are girly-girls so we have had fun with dolls, and pink, and brushing hair...we have also had a few more emotional moments but that is mostly because they are little. I will admit that I have thrown my whole self into caring for these girls and love them already so I will be sad when they go back to their foster parents tomorrow. These girls are not available for adoption because their parents are still in the court process of trying to get them back. We weren't really interested in adopting girls this young anyway, but we are now praying about that...we'll have to see what God has in store.

The funniest/sweetest things from the weekend:
Seanna said "Christmas" and our oldest thought she said "breath mints" and they had a good laugh over that. She LOVED sitting on the couch next to the boys and would say "I sit by you." which just makes your heart melt...she just wants to be with people and be loved. Also, when I told her "you're adorable" she said "no, I'm a good girl!"
Ariel is only 2 so she doesn't say a lot but when she was sad one afternoon I said, "Don't smile!" with a very stern face and she started cracking up. So we started doing this all the time and now she says it to us and cracks up. Her laugh is in itself hilarious and contagious.

With the birthday of Jesus this Friday, we are reminded of how precious His gift was to us with the visit of these girls. His word says in James that "religion" at it's foundation is to care for orphans and it is humbling to be able to be His hands and feet in this way even if only for a short time...it is a gift for them but it is really a gift for US. This is a gift we give whether it's convenient or not. How joyous to experience the true meaning of Christmas this year.

May you have the same opportunity to be a blessing and be BLESSED in 2010!
Shelley