A Faith That Works When Life Doesn’t: Part 5Sample

Your Gifts and Talents Are Not Just for Your Good

When God created you, he gave you different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain things you do that you're just naturally good at doing.

Your gifts and abilities are how God shaped you. But God did not shape you uniquely for your benefit and for your own good. Your gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. And that means their gifts are for your benefit, too.

One of my gifts is teaching. I’ve put that gift to work for many years now—for the benefit of other people. In the same way, your gifts can benefit the people in your life.

You may already know what you're really good at doing. Why did God make you good at those things? He wants you to use those gifts for others!

How should you use your gifts or talents? Well, you should use them to reach others for Jesus and be an ambassador of love in the world. In fact, if you’re not using your unique gifts the way God intended, then you're really just wasting them. James 4:17 says it like this: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it" (NLT).

Knowing there are many people in the world who would greatly benefit from your gifts and talents, what are you going to do about it? Who are you serving now? Who are you going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins?

God has given you—like he gave the church in 1 Corinthians—everything you need to serve well. "I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 NLT).

Don’t waste your God-given abilities. Use your gifts to serve God by serving others.

Talk It Over

• Do you know what your purpose is? How do you think your gifts and talents play into your purpose?
• What is one new way you can use your talents and skills to help someone this week?
• If you knew Jesus was going to return in three days, how would you spend those three days? How should that perspective change the way you spend your time every day?

This devotional © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.