Recognize your gifts!

Yesterday, I had the honor of sharing devotions to my company.  It was a blessing and I am grateful.  I was so incredibly nervous to speak to all those people but nevertheless, I am thankful.  I just wanted to share that devotion with you all so you could hopefully be encouraged as well.

My job is such a blessing because daily I have the privelege of working with incredibly gifted doctors and medical professionals who are using their gifts and talents in order to show Jesus to people all over the world.  They're sacrificing their own time, money, talents and resources to serve overseas.  Most of the time when I get their trip reports back following the conclusion of their trips, I'm reading how these medical professionals were significantly impacted and blessed by their trips.  That really started stirring up my thoughts about the gifts that the Lord has placed in each of us.

As believers, we've been specifically assigned and engrafted with Kingdom purpose.  We have to recognize how we've been gifted and start using that to our fullest potential in order to build the Kingdom. 

⁴ There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. ⁶ God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. - 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

Throughout the rest of chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, Paul continues to make the correlation between the body and spiritual gifts.  Each gift, each "part of the body" fits together to build the Kingdom.  It's no coincidence, in my opinion, that the very next chapter he continues to say that building the Kingdom as one body is only possible if we keep love at the forefront. 

Surrounding us daily are the most brilliant and talented people on the planet.  An entire earth composed of people who fit together and compliment each other perfectly.  There are people with an incredible ability to encourage all the time.  There are prayer warriors.  There are people who's words flow together so perfectly that when they address crowds whole masses of people leave inspired.  The list goes on and on.  The gifts of the Lord are amazing and unlimited.

I believe that Kingdom purpose is two fold:

1. Recognizing our own gifts as given by the Lord. 
• No where in the Bible does it say that it's bad to recognize that you are gifted.  In fact, I believe that it creates an attitude of gratitude when you realize that what you're good at is only because the Lord made you good at it.
2. Recognizing the gifts in others so we can pull those gifts out of them and encourage them to pursue their purpose.
• We have to be sensitive to opportunities to encourage others to go after what they're good at.  Pushing people to use their resources to bless others creates a cycle of growth.

¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. -James 1:17

God didn't design you with gifts that he was unsure of.  It wasn't a probability equation at the time of your creation in Heaven.  No -- God designed you with certain gifts and talents with purpose and on purpose.  He knew that by using those gifts, you were going to be able to change the world. 

Recognize your calling and answer in obidience.  You will, undoubtedly, be immensely blessed.