A GIFT FROM THE KING b y A nn a l i s a Pat en aud e
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All believers have spiritual gifts, whether remember when I first heard the term “spiritual gifts” in a sermon. The pastor you are gifted in serving, encouraging, or described them as the ways in which we teaching others. God has given you talserve God using our talents and abilities. ents and abilities to use your spiritual gift, which is different from another’s, making And I thought, what is my spiritual gift? My parents signed me up for piano les- up the Body of Christ. Maybe you haven’t sons when I was six. And I continued to discovered yours but have the abilities/ play into my teenage years, taking Royal talents God can use. It’s humbling to know Conservatory exams and practicing long God has uniquely equipped you so the Holy hours. When I was asked to join a wor- Spirit can do great work through you. In his article called “Spiritual Gifts,” Bob ship team at my church, I accepted, not Deffinbaugh explains it’s fully understanding the God has given you important to know your significance of what I was doing. I was joining with talents and abilities to gift since every Christian plays a role in the Body of fellow Christian musicians use your spiritual gift, Christ. He writes, “Your to worship God and encourage others to worship. And which is different from spiritual gifts equip you to another’s, making up carry out this function.”1 I realized my spiritual gift The Church is made up is serving and encouraging the Body of Christ. of unique people with difothers in the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit uses my ability to play the ferent abilities and talents and God has a place for everyone to serve. Consider how piano for this purpose. Wow! There are different kinds of gifts, but your gift might relate to your abilities. And the same Spirit distributes them. like myself, through even a willingness to There are different kinds of service, be used, you can discover what your spiribut the same Lord. There are different tual gift is and be blessed in using it. kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at 1 http://bible.org/seriespage/spiritual-gifts-1work…just as a body, though one, has corinthians-121-11 many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Annalisa Patenaude is the Living Bridge Media assistant at Insight for Living Canada. (1 Corinthians 12:4–6, 12 NIV)
