Do You Know Your Gift, and Are You Using It?

Do You Know Your Gift, and Are You Using It?

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” — Romans 12:6

As electricians, we understand something about tools.

Open an electrician’s toolbox and you will find different tools for different purposes. A multimeter cannot replace a screwdriver. A crimping tool cannot do the work of a side cutter. A tester, drill, spanner and pair of pliers all have their own purpose.

One tool is not necessarily more important than another. What matters is whether the right tool is available when it is needed.

Romans 12:6–8 teaches us something very similar about people.

God has given us different gifts, and those gifts were not given simply for our own benefit. They were given so that we can use them.

Paul mentions several gifts:

• Prophecy — speaking according to the faith God has given.
• Serving — seeing a need and being willing to step in and help.
• Teaching — helping others understand, learn and grow.
• Encouragement — strengthening someone who may be struggling or losing hope.
• Giving — generously sharing what God has entrusted to you.
• Leading — taking responsibility and guiding others diligently.
• Showing mercy — caring for people with compassion and kindness.

Notice something important: not everyone receives exactly the same gift.

And that is perfectly fine.

Maybe Your Gift Doesn't Look “Spiritual”

Sometimes we think a gift from God must mean preaching behind a pulpit or doing something extraordinary.

But look again at Romans 12.

Serving is a gift.

Teaching is a gift.

Encouraging someone is a gift.

Giving is a gift.

Leading people well is a gift.

Showing mercy is a gift.

Some gifts are very visible. Others happen quietly where few people ever notice them.

Perhaps you are the electrician who naturally takes time to teach the apprentice instead of becoming frustrated with him.

Perhaps you are the person on site who can calm everyone down when pressure is high.

Perhaps people naturally come to you when they need advice.

Maybe you are good at solving problems.

Maybe you notice when someone is struggling before anyone else does.

Maybe you are generous with your knowledge, your time, your equipment or your resources.

These things might feel normal to you precisely because they come naturally to you.

But what comes naturally to you may be exactly what somebody else desperately needs.

So Here Is Today's Question

Do you know what your gift is?

And perhaps the more important question:

Are you using it to serve others?

A screwdriver left permanently in a toolbox may be an excellent screwdriver, but it accomplishes nothing.

The same principle applies to our gifts.

You can have tremendous knowledge, but if you never teach anyone, who benefits?

You can be a natural encourager, but if you never speak encouragement, who becomes stronger?

You can have leadership ability, but if you refuse responsibility, who gets guided?

You can have resources to give, but if your hand always remains closed, who gets helped?

You can have a servant's heart, but if you are always too busy to notice people, who experiences it?

A gift only starts fulfilling its purpose when it is used.

Your Gift Is Not Only for You

There is another danger we should consider.

Sometimes we discover what we are good at, but then use that ability only to advance ourselves.

Romans 12 presents a different picture.

Our gifts form part of a body. We need one another.

The experienced electrician has knowledge the apprentice needs.

The young electrician may understand new technology that the experienced electrician hasn't encountered yet.

The business owner may have an opportunity someone else desperately needs.

The person with leadership ability can create direction.

The encourager can help someone through a difficult season.

The giver can meet a need.

The servant can make someone's burden lighter.

God may have placed something in you because He intends to bless somebody through you.

That changes the question from:

“What can my gift do for me?”

to:

“Who can I serve with what God has given me?”

Look Around Your Workplace This Week

Perhaps discovering your gift does not require some complicated process.

Start by paying attention.

What do people regularly ask you for help with?

What comes naturally to you?

Where do you see needs that other people seem to overlook?

What kind of problem immediately makes you want to help?

What do people repeatedly tell you that you are good at?

Where do you find yourself making a difference without even thinking about it?

There may be clues there.

Then ask God to show you how that gift can be used.

Don't Leave Your Gift in the Toolbox

Romans 12:6 begins with a simple truth:

“We have different gifts…”

Different—not inferior.

Different—not useless.

Different—not accidental.

There is something powerful about people who understand what God has placed inside them and then willingly use it for the benefit of others.

So this Monday, don't only ask:

“God, what is my gift?”

Ask:

“God, who can I serve with the gift You have given me?”

Because perhaps someone you meet this week needs exactly what God has already placed inside you.

Know your gift.
Develop your gift.
But most importantly—use your gift.

This Week's Challenge

Take a few minutes and read Romans 12:6–8 again.

Identify one gift you believe God has placed in you.

Then find one person this week whom you can intentionally serve with that gift.

Your gift was never meant to remain in the toolbox.