Better Than You Can ImagineSample

A Bigger Adventure

My only word of caution: don’t think of your calling only in terms of “spiritual” gifts. I believe the teaching of the Bible about how every member of the body of Christ has been given a spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit. However, I’m afraid that we sometimes limit our thinking by putting clear lines between what is spiritual and what isn’t. We tend to think of our God-given gifts only as those things that might contribute to a church worship service, such as preaching, singing, keeping babies in the nursery, or greeting visitors when they come into the church. As a pastor, I’m keenly aware of how important it is for people to sing and greet and keep babies, but if that’s the beginning and end of where we think God can use us, we’re missing the point.

The work we do together on Sunday mornings as we encounter God’s presence in worship is meant to equip us to carry that presence out into the world all week long. Your Life Gift is just as likely to involve changing oil on Monday morning as it is changing diapers on Sunday morning; just as likely to include sitting in the cancer ward as singing in the choir; just as likely to happen in the local middle school as in a Sunday school. In fact, if you can neatly package up your gift in an hour or two a week, I can safely say that’s not your calling. Not that there’s anything wrong with a couple hours of volunteerism—I’m just telling you that I’m confident God has a much bigger adventure for your life than that.

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