What’s in Your Hand? – Open-It!
1 Corinthians 12: 27-31 You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”
The Occasion
Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t really want? I mean really? It’s ok to admit it. Nobody is watching…lol! Yes. I dare say that all of us have received a birthday or Christmas gift that we really didn’t like. As a result, we didn’t have any choice, but to accept it out of concern for the person’s feelings. so we accepted it.
Here is how it worked:
It is your special occasion. There is some type of celebration. You get excited over the gift in anticipation of what is inside of the packaging. Before you open it, you have every intention of using it. You are filled with expectation. You can just feel the new necklace around your neck or the new purse on your shoulder. You smile from ear to ear with happiness.
The trouble comes when you open the gift and it is an ugly florescent orange pair of earrings and a blouse which is two sizes too large. At the sight of it, you try to conceal the fact that you are disappointed. You really want to give it back or ask, “Do I really look like I am that big?” BUT…you take the gift and win the award for best actor or actress as you humbly accept the hideous gifts.
Revelation
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone was as accepting of his or her spiritual gifts as they are birthday or other types of physical gifts? Each Christian is endowed with a set of Spiritual Gifts. These gifts are given so that the God’s message is cultivated and sent in all the earth. We are given these gifts for us to be God’s Hands on the Earth. He uses us to get his message out.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul gives a listing of the primary spiritual gifts. Every person fits within one of these categories. They are freely given by the Holy Spirit. Paul terms them as “gifts.” We understand the receiving of gifts to be a joyous occasion. One that we look forward too; however, most of us treat spiritual gifts the same as we do physical gifts that we don’t really want. For instance, a person may have the gift of service, but refuse to serve, or the gift of healing, but refuse to pray for others. It is that simple. I know it sounds harsh, but it is reality.
It is a great privilege to be trustworthy enough to do God’s will. Think about it. God can use anyone and He wants to use everyone to do his will. Why not accept your gifts and allow people to be blessed by the ministry that God has placed within you? Believe it or not…it is connected to your dream.
Look over your life and take a mental survey of the things you do extremely well. Think about how you can use that strength to transmit God’s love in your circle. If you like to serve others….it is easy – serve others. If you like to encourage others – encourage others. It is that simple.
Ask Yourself…
What do I do well? Why does that bring me enjoyment?
How can you use this to help promote the Christian message?
Who would benefit?
About the Author
Minister Charlene Alexander Robbins is the Founder of Virtuous Insight Life & Destiny Coaching. Minister Robbins’ creativity has allowed her to be a blessing to many different ministries. She is also the Owner/Operator of CR Technologies which is a desktop publishing company and enjoys serving at her local church Friendship Christian Church, Gastonia, NC as well. Click here to view a complete bio for Minister Robbins.
