The Conquest

Use Your Gift, Saturday, January 8, 2011

Reading: I Timothy 4:12-16, 12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

With young children of my own, I am constantly intrigued at Christmas and birthdays which gift they are going to really cling to and which gift they would just as soon do without. There are so many times that “you just know that they are going to love it!!!” Then they open it, and the last thing that their face communicates is absolute adoration for this gift. Even at a certain age, they would much rather play with the box that the gift came in, then to play with the gift. At which, you begin to wonder “Then, what was the point of getting this?” Then, you have us, the adults. Have you ever received a gift, tucked it away, then found it a while later and completely forgot that you had it? My brother-in-law and I had about a five year string going when we would give the tie that the other one had given the previous year. I don’t think we wore the tie even one time. It just sat on the tie rack. Too many times we are the same way with our spiritual gifts from God. It may not be the most popular gift. We may experience fear in demonstrating that gift. We may not think we have time to use the gift, but, what Paul said to Timothy, to “not neglect your gift”, was a command to follow. A legitimate struggle for you could be that you don’t know what your gifts are. It’s difficult to open your gift and use it, if you don’t know what it is.

Challenge: If you don’t know what your gifts are, talk to your group and ask them to help you with developing a list of your gifts.

What are your gifts?

How can you use those gifts in your life without neglecting them?


REVIEW

What did you learn about your gifts today?


How were you able to use your gifts today?