Using Your Gifts
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:5–7
I saw a rather amazing study not long ago that revealed that one out of five gift card recipients never actually use the cards they are given. At the time of the study, the unused cards totaled nearly a billion dollars. That is a staggering amount of unused and unclaimed gifts. Researchers revealed that the number one reason cited for not using gift cards, by roughly half the people, was that they just didn’t have time. Another quarter said they had either lost the card, or that it had expired before they got around to using it. What a waste!
That waste pales in comparison to the loss suffered when Christians fail to use their spiritual gifts. Speaking of those gifts, Paul wrote, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Corinthians 12:7). The gifts God has entrusted to us are not meant to be put on a shelf and admired, but rather put to work. The home, the church, and the country all suffer when we ignore the gifts we have been given.
If you gave someone a gift card but then later found out they had never used it, you would think long and hard before giving them another one. In the same way, if we do not use what God has already given us, why should we expect Him to give us more? Use what you have for His Kingdom today.
2 Timothy 1:5–7
I saw a rather amazing study not long ago that revealed that one out of five gift card recipients never actually use the cards they are given. At the time of the study, the unused cards totaled nearly a billion dollars. That is a staggering amount of unused and unclaimed gifts. Researchers revealed that the number one reason cited for not using gift cards, by roughly half the people, was that they just didn’t have time. Another quarter said they had either lost the card, or that it had expired before they got around to using it. What a waste!
That waste pales in comparison to the loss suffered when Christians fail to use their spiritual gifts. Speaking of those gifts, Paul wrote, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Corinthians 12:7). The gifts God has entrusted to us are not meant to be put on a shelf and admired, but rather put to work. The home, the church, and the country all suffer when we ignore the gifts we have been given.
If you gave someone a gift card but then later found out they had never used it, you would think long and hard before giving them another one. In the same way, if we do not use what God has already given us, why should we expect Him to give us more? Use what you have for His Kingdom today.
Today’s Growth Principle:
God has gifted and equipped you to do things for Him that no one else can do in exactly the same way.
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