Each and every one of us has been given gifts from God the Father. He has created you with a specific purpose in mind, and placed incredible gifts and tools inside of you that color the way you see the world, how you move and function in life, and how you serve God and people. He has so woven these gifts into us that if we are not careful to keep our eyes on God, we will begin to think that we are the gift.
As God partners with His people in incredible ways, our temptation is often to exalt and praise the gift in a person, forgetting that it is a gift, and that God put it there in the first place. We are to appreciate and receive from one another’s gifts, keeping in mind that the gifts God gives are to bring Him glory.
What you have been given is a gift. It is not who you are, it does not define your value or worth to God. It should not define our worth or value to each other. I often call my daughter my little treasure box. Each day I see the personality, life and person that God has made her, and I get to see those treasures coming out everyday! Let’s see ourselves, and each other, as treasure boxes that the Father places great treasures in! Your gifts may help you see and discern, bringing clarity and answers for others. You may have gifts that enable you to serve, or the gift of finding and giving resources for those in need. Maybe your gift is to communicate God’s Word clearly. The list goes on, and the combinations are innumerable. But no matter how God chooses to use those gifts in and through us… they are gifts.
More important than any gift, talent or ability that God has given you is your connection to God. How we move and function as we bring God’s Kingdom to Earth must come from a place of intimacy with God.
Here is how God showed this truth to me – the truth that we must be connected to Him:
Without the presence of God, His power and anointing “lighting up” the gift – it is just like a pretty toy. You can push it around, making it look like it is working to its fullest, doing what it was designed to do. It will still be satisfying and fun. But when the batteries are plugged in, when it is connected to the Source of Power, that gift will do more than you could ever imagine. Don’t forget that you have been given a gift. Steward it well. Seek God, and allow him to light you up. Don’t settle for what the gift alone can do in and through you. Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to rest on you, making the most of your gift, working in and through it to serve others.
I hope this encourages you! What has God shown you about how He has created you?
