In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God stirred hearts to contribute to the building of the temple. Artisans built, molded, stitched and designed beauty fitting for the place of worship.
The People responded to the stirring and brought their skilled offerings. They were stirred so much that Moses called for a halt—they had more than what was needed.
Amazing!
How often do we hear that today? Churches and other Christian organizations are dying for people to share their gifts and talents, to bring their offerings of skill for the betterment of the Body of Christ. What squelches it for us?
What causes our heart to be stilled instead of stirred?
Often I hear people give a number of reasons. I am too busy. I don’t have time. My children are grown. I am not really that good at ____, so-and-so does a better job. I can’t teach. I’m too old. I am not good with children. My friend, these excuses are hindering the Spirit of God’s stirring in you.
No one expects you to take on something you are not suited for. But, there are things you are gifted to do—because the Word says we have all received at least one spiritual gift to be used to build up the Body.
Do you know what yours is?
Here are a few ideas to move you toward discovering how God has gifted you:
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What topic causes you to perk up when you talk about it (education, abortion, pregnant teens, current events/news, financial planning, homelessness, healthcare, hunger, missions, youth work, human trafficking, etc)?
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What group of people are you most drawn to (children, adults, singles, teens, handicapped, elderly, home bound, homeless, recovering, new families, infants, etc.)?
- Do you prefer working in front or behind the scenes?
There are many resources available to help you in discovering your spiritual gift and different ways to employ it for God’s glory. The body needs you— without your special contribution they could be without an arm, or a hand.
So let’s consider how to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).
Do you sense God stirring something in you? Do you have a skill to share?
I’d love to discuss this with you further—leave a comment with your thoughts. I am praying for us all to sense the stirring of the Holy Spirit and the discovery of our importance to our brothers and sisters of the faith.
Do you want to dig deeper?
Exodus 35, 36:2-7 – Read about God's stirring up of craftsmanship
Spiritual gifts passages:
Article first appeared on The Stream's Edge. Used with permission.
Jeanne Doyon enjoys encouraging others to love God's Word and to draw nearer to the Lover of their souls. She is a graduate of Christian Communicators. She writes, teaches and is available to speak at your event. Jeanne is a contributing author to Fighting Fear, Winning the War At Home, and Kisses of Sunshine for Women as well as Crosswalk.com and OpentheWord.org. Her articles appear in Evangel, Live, Proverbs 31 and Living Magazine. She shares her reflections on her blog at www.streams-edge.blogspot.com. Email Jeanne at jeanne.doyon@gmail.com and find out more about her speaking topics at www.jeannedoyon.blogspot.com
Publication date: July 2, 2013