Bible Ballistics: BBs #246      Are You Re-Gifting???

In recent years it has become popular and acceptable to “re-gift” items that one has received as a gift, and give it to someone else on an occasion that demands a “gift”. There was a time that this was socially unacceptable, but in our time it has become not only acceptable but also promoted and ideas given in various outlets of ways to do it. But that is not the “re-gifting” that I am referring to. I want us to talk briefly this morning about Christian’s “Spiritual Gifts”. I won’t go into a lot of detail, but I would like to just share one passage and elaborate on what it says about our gifts in a very general way.

“As every man hath received the gift,

even so minister the same

one to another,

as good stewards

of the manifold grace of God.

11 If any man speak,

let him speak as

the oracles of God;

if any man minister,

let him do it as

of the ability which God giveth:

that God

in all things

may be glorified

through Jesus Christ,

to whom be praise

and dominion

for ever and ever. Amen.”    1 Peter 4:10-11

Peter gives us the backbone of information about “Spiritual Gifts” here; while the other three passages (Romans 14, Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12) fill in the body of information and specifics of Spiritual Gifts, what they are, the import and manner of their use and more. For our purposes today, I simply want us to take Peter’s challenge to “Re-Gift” our own spiritual gift/gifts and put them to use by sharing it with others as God has equipped us.

The first thing that Peter tells us is that “every man hath received the gift”—every born again believer has at least one of the named Spiritual Gifts (See the 3 passages listed above for those lists). Then why is the church in such dire straights and working so few so hard? Because many are not sharing their gift or gifts with the church body, so others are being worked nigh unto the point of exhaustion to do the work that God called us ALL to do. What is your gift? Have you even asked God to reveal to you what YOU are supposed to be doing in HIS body? Good questions, and only YOU can answer them for yourself—but there are those who will help if you but ask, seek and knock!

Peter goes on to tell us is that we are to USE our gifts, but not for ourselves—for GOD!!! He also specifies that there are two basic kinds of gifts, there are speaking gifts, and there are service or ministry gifts. But each kind of gift mentioned has a disclaimer of sorts; we are to use them appropriately:

“one to another”—unselfishly

“as good stewards of the … grace of God”-freely

“speak as the oracles of God”—speaking God’s Word

“of the ability which God giveth”—doing God’s Work

“that God … may be glorified”—for God’s glory.

To put it all in a nutshell today, we are to acknowledge we have a gift/gifts from God; we are to exercise our gifts for the benefit of others, not ourselves—after all they ARE God’s gifts–we are simply stewards of HIS grace gifts; if our gift is a speaking gift, we are to speak God’s Words with integrity and honesty; if our gift is a service or ministry gift, we are to use it with a humble heart knowing that it is God’s gift for us to use for the benefit of others; and of greatest import we are to exercise our gifts to glorify God, to bring praise and honor to our Lord Jesus, and that the world may know the one whom we love and serve.

So, the challenge I offer to you (and me) is to seek to recognize your gift/gifts if you haven’t, and to use your gift/gifts for the increase of God’s kingdom, sharing in whatever ways God calls us to serve and share the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—IN WORDS AND IN DEEDS!!! One without the other is incomplete, to say the least.

May we ever strive to let the whole world know whose we are and what HE has done for us, in us, through us, bringing glory to our Lord in all that we do. Just think how much more wonderful a place church would be if everyone was exercising their gift for the benefit of all. It could make “burnout” non-existent!!! Won’t you seek God’s face today and ask HIM what you can do to exercise YOUR gift? I’ll be praying for you to find that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (See Nehemiah 8:10) and using His gifts to His glory is “joy” beyond measure or description. “Re-Gifting” God’s gifts is more than acceptable, it’s God’s expectation, it’s our calling! Try it—you’ll find “joy unspeakable, and full of glory” (See 1 Peter 1:8)!!!