211. WHAT IS YOUR GIFT?

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 4)

Every person who has truly believed in his heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, his resurrection, has confessed with his mouth the truth that Jesus is Lord and surrendered his entire life over to him in repentance is a Christian.

Every Christian has been passed from condemnation to life, adopted into God’s royal family, saved from eternal damnation and God’s impending wrath and instead, guaranteed an eternal inheritance in heaven.

In light of the above, God being faithful and having work for his children to do, he has equipped every Christian with at least one gift. This gift is spiritual in nature, spiritual in origin and spiritual in purpose. People in the world, while they have been given talents and abilities therefore, from the Lord, do not have gifts. These are reserved for only God’s children.

Gifts are given for God’s children not to use on themselves but to use to bring glory to God. In particular, God intended his children to benefit from each other’s giftings, which are necessary for the spiritual maturation and growth of the body of Christ, consisting of individual members. He also intended the gifts to be used for ministry purposes, for the furtherance of the gospel message, so that unbelievers would come to Jesus Christ, believe upon him, confess that he is Lord and be saved.

There being different types of gifts but all being equally important to God’s purposes, he distributes these gifts to every one of his children as he sees fit. Nobody gets to pick and choose. Nobody gets to put in a request for one gift as opposed to another or to dismiss any member of the body of Christ as not fit or worthy enough to have a particular gift. God’s gift is also not something that we can receive through earthly or religious training or that we can dish out to others. If God has not given a person a particular gift, no amount of praying for that person to receive it or willing him to have it will make him have it. In God’s wisdom and without contradicting any of his Word, God gives each Christian at least one gift, as HE determines, according to the counsel of HIS own will and without human interference.

Not liking a certain gift or not believing that it exists, will not stop God from giving it to whoever he pleases, for HIS work. God does as he pleases. He will not contradict his Word but he will give severally as HE wills.

That every believer is endowed with at least one gift to be used selflessly, not to elevate himself but for God’s divine purposes and God has distributed different types of gifts, the Word of God states:

“As every man hath received the GIFT, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10)

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the GIFT of Christ…And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-16)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service…For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.Having then GIFTS differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:1,3-8)

“Now concerning spiritual GIFTS, brethren, I would not have you ignorant…Now there are diversities of GIFTS, but the same Spirit.And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the GIFTS of healing by the same Spirit;To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ…

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then GIFTS of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?Have all the GIFTS of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?But covet earnestly the best GIFTS: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-12, 24-31)

Of the gift that Timothy, a believer, received from the Lord, Paul wrote to him saying:

“Neglect not the GIFT that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1 Timothy 4:14-16)

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the GIFT of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, WHAT GIFT OR GIFTS DO YOU HAVE?

God never intended us to have gifts in secrecy, to the extent where we don’t know what we have been gifted with and therefore, can’t bless others and promote his Kingdom business, through the use of it. God intends each of his children to not just know in what area or areas they have been gifted but to be busy using those gifts to HIS glory.

Some people who have professed to believe on Jesus, have voiced though, that they don’t know what their gifting is. If you are one such person, to find out what your gift is, I would recommend the following:

ONE – Spend quality time in God’s Word the Bible. Read it, soak it in and meditate upon it, day and night. God loves to use his children that are full of the Word. How much time do you spend digging in to God’s Word?

TWO – Have a heart that is willing to go out and do God’s work. Don’t just say that you are willing so as to please or impress people but truly have a heart of servitude, where, out of love for the Lord and given the commission which is urgent, you genuinely want to work for Him and promote His cause, which has always been the salvation of souls and the edification of his children. Ask yourself: Do I really, really, really, really want to work for the Lord or am I content not to work for him?

THREE – Realize, believe and have the mindset, that God’s work is the most important work there is on this earth, even more important than your work and any other work in this world. Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” You know that you have adopted the right mindset, when you view God’s work as your full time work and secular work and activities as your part-time work. Do you have this perspective?

FOUR – Love God and his work passionately, even more than your own work and activities, to the point where you are genuinely prepared to give it utmost priority, even if it means that you will be deprived of some opportunity or have to sacrifice something, like your time, skills, resources, a job and finances.

In Matthew 22:37, Jesus stated, “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Do you love God like this and are you prepared to make personal sacrifices (including losing money) to advance his cause?

Sometimes doing God’s work requires you to spend finances. This Website you’re on for example, cost money to set up and will require money on an ongoing basis, to remain up. Are you prepared to give up something, including money if need be and even where you don’t have much, so as to do God’s work?

In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus observed and highly commended a poor widow, who, most likely not having a clue where her next meal was going to come from, gave all the money that she had, to the Lord, trusting him for her continued existence. She understood that her being provided for wasn’t based on how much money she had but on her relationship with the Lord. She therefore gave him her all. The scripture reads:

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

Sometimes we say we don’t know what gift we have and how God wants to use us but sometimes what we mean is that we want a gift that will not require us to have to spend our own money but what if that is what God wants you, as an individual, to do?

In 2 Samuel 24:24, when David was offered the threshingfloor he desired to obtain in order to build an altar unto the Lord, free, he refused, stating: “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”

Not all of God’s work requires the expending of funds but if where God is calling you to operate, requires you to spend money, some of your personal finances and you don’t have a lot are you willing to do so? There is a difference between giving and sacrificial giving. Simply giving when you have a lot is not as noble as sacrificial giving, which is giving when you don’t even have much. This is what the widow with the two mites did.

How much of God’s work today is stymied because of stinginess, where people hug their funds and are unwilling to use at least some of it, for the sake of advancing the gospel and edifying the saints?

FIVE – Convinced that God’s work is the most important work there is, go to him in faith and ask him:

(a) To give you a heart that loves people even more than you may do at present;
(b) To give you a heart that is passionate about seeing souls saved and other believers built up and edified. Proverbs 11:30 states “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
(c) To give you wisdom wherever you may lack it and to open your eyes to spot every day opportunities that you can use to do his work and promote His glory. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
(d) To reveal to you your gift or gifts and how he wants you to use them.

Provided that you were sincere in each one of these requests, believe in FAITH that the Lord will grant every one of them and continue to ask for these things in PRAYER, WITHOUT CEASING, until you receive the answers.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us that we should “Pray without ceasing.” James 1:6-8 states, that when we ask the Lord for wisdom, we must do so in faith, believing that he will grant it. It reads:

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

SIX – Even while praying and waiting on the Lord to answer your prayer, go out and do something for him, anything. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states,“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” If you are truly willing to work for the Lord, there will be something that you see that you can do for the Lord, no matter how small. Do this thing to the best of your ability because the Lord you serve is a God of excellence and keep working until your answer comes. Often times, God reveals your gift/s when you are actually in the field working doing something.

If you’ve done all of the six steps above and have the correct mindset, then because God is faithful, I believe that he will let you know what your gift or gifts are. As stated before, he never intended your gift to be a mystery or puzzle that you have to take great pains to work out or that is hidden from you but that you would know what it is and get busy operating in it.

If you are still clueless as to what your gift is after taking the six steps above and you still feel frustrated not knowing or your not knowing doesn’t really bother you and you are content to remain in that state, then I would recommend a seventh step as follows:

SEVEN – Examine yourself whether you are really in the faith because there isn’t a child of God that is without a gift and when God speaks, his children hear his voice (John 10:27). Humbly therefore, engage in introspection, to make your calling and election sure (2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10).

If after you have done that, you are sure that you are saved, then all I can tell you is to keep praying and keep working doing something for the Lord, no matter how small. For, I firmly believe that, if you are saved and have the correct mindset and genuinely want to use what God has given you to reach souls and edify the saints, you will eventually know (and others too), how God has gifted you and what he will have you to do specifically.

Usually, people who say for years that they don’t know what gift they have or just operate through life mindlessly without any regard for what gift they have and are to use, either are not genuinely saved or in my view, they are saved but have a problem with their mindset, in that:

1. They are distracted by life, preoccupied with their own affairs and consider their own work and activities to be more important than God’s work; AND/OR

2. They don’t have a heart that truly loves people or desires to see souls saved, although they say it with their lips. In short, they are indifferent or hardened to the plight of lost souls; AND/OR

3. They are not really interested in finding out what they’ve been gifted with or interested in working hard for the Lord but are content for the status quo to remain, taking comfort in dead religious routine, while not truly stirring up and exercising their gift. In short, they are content for their gift, whatever it may be, to remain unknown and to lie dormant; AND/OR

4. They are lazy when it comes to spiritual matters and therefore find it hard to devote their time to doing God’s work which they regard as a burden; AND/OR

5. They are just downright selfish in that they are not prepared to make sacrifices for the Lord or to work to help build up other believers and want their lives to be about just themselves. They consider themselves to be safe from eternal damnation and don’t really care that others aren’t or that other believers may need the gift that God has given them; AND/OR

6. They have a cavalier or casual approach to Christianity and therefore are not seriously committed to spending quality time in prayer and studying the Word of God (which makes the simple wise), so as to learn of him, model their lives after him and hear from him; AND/OR

7. They are not being truthful or are being in denial because they know what gift they have or at least have an inkling, although they pretend they don’t or would rather much wish they had not known. They sit on the gift, suppress it and ignore it because maybe it is not what they would have liked to have or because it is not as public or ‘prestigious’ a gift as they delusively think other gifts are or because it would require them to make sacrifices which they don’t want to make, like spend money or give of their time or because the people around them don’t believe in the existence of such a gift or that God has gifted them with it or because they themselves are afraid to use it. To not rock the boat therefore or because they would much rather not have the particular gift they have been given, like the servant in the parable in Matthew 25:25 who hid the Lord’s talent and did nothing with it because he was afraid, they have neglected the gift that is in them; AND/OR

8. They have backslid, become distant, lukewarm or are idolizing something or someone over the Lord and so don’t see enjoyment in their relationship with the Lord. If they themselves are not enjoying fellowship with the Lord and are not on fire for him, they will not feel motivated to go out and tell others about him in any meaningful way or at all. Undoubtedly, when a person has received the Lord’s Word in his heart by believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and confessing with his mouth that he is Lord, that person becomes saved. The spirit of the Lord now indwelling that person, there is a fire that burns within him if he is in right standing with the Lord and submitted to him. This fire propels or compels him to go forward and do the Lord’s work, not grudgingly but willingly. Such a person is therefore never at peace just sitting down doing nothing. For, he feels driven by the Lord’s spirit, to advance HIS work. In Psalm 39:1-3, David for example, stated, “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. MY HEART WAS HOT WITHIN ME, WHILE I WAS MUSING THE FIRE BURNED: then spake I with my tongue…”. Jeremiah experienced something similar. In Jeremiah 20:9 he stated, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. BUT HIS WORD WAS IN MINE HEART AS A BURNING FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

Once the people I have mentioned above, after proper introspection, change their mindset, repent where they need to, truly see themselves as servants of the Lord first and foremost and genuinely want to work hard for him, if they are saved, God will not leave them wandering aimlessly. He sees their heart and will call them to do some kind of work, letting them know what he has gifted them with and how he wishes to utilize this gift or gifts in his vineyard.

On another note, it is important to remember, that whether people approve of a gift or not or approve of the person who has it, this does not in anyway nullify the gift. God does not give a gift based on whether people will approve of it or not or whether they esteem the person who he gave it to or not. Given that He is God, his distribution of gifts is never predicated on the opinions of man. God therefore does whatever he wants and gives gifts to the body of Christ as he pleases, while never contradicting his Word.

He is never sorry for gifting as he has gifted either. As his Word states, “…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:29)

(Written on 16th and 20th January, 2022, added to on 4th February, 2022)

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