Using The Gifts We’ve Been Given
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10
We all have talents, abilities, and gifts that are unique to us. Things we’re naturally good at, or skills and knowledge we’ve developed over time. But these gifts weren’t given to us just for our own benefit. As Peter instructs in his epistle, we’re called to use our gifts to serve others and be good stewards of God’s grace.
Sometimes it’s easy to take our gifts for granted or to use them solely for our own gain and ambition. But when we recognize that our talents come from God and are meant to benefit others, it gives our gifts a higher purpose. We can view them not as a means to personal success, but as a way to glorify God by loving and serving His people.
So what does it look like in practice to use our gifts to serve others? And how can we be “faithful stewards” of the various forms of grace we’ve received? By taking stock of the gifts we’ve been blessed with and intentionally using them to uplift others, meet needs, and further God’s kingdom work. Let’s explore some of the many ways we can leverage our talents for the benefit of others.
The Gift of Service
Some of us have a natural gift of being helpful, attentive to the needs of others, and willing to lend a hand wherever needed. We thrive on assisting people in practical ways, taking care of tasks, and ensuring things run smoothly. If you have this service-oriented gift, look for ways to use it generously.
You could volunteer your time at a soup kitchen, food pantry, or homeless shelter, offering a caring presence as you serve meals and meet basic needs. If you’re physically able, you could help neighbors or church members by doing household chores, yard work, or minor repairs. Or share your gift by making meals for new moms, the sick, or those going through a hard time. There’s no limit to the ways practical service can lighten someone’s burden.
The Gift of Teaching
Those with a gift for teaching have a knack for breaking things down into understandable concepts, explaining ideas clearly, and helping others grasp new knowledge and skills. This gift allows you to impart truth, wisdom, and understanding in a way that facilitates learning.
Use your teaching gift to minister to children by serving in your church’s nursery, kids program, or youth group. Help coach kids’ sports teams, emphasizing character-building as well as athletic skills. You could also lead a small group or Bible study, helping others engage with Scripture in a deep way. Or share what you know through tutoring, mentoring, leading a workshop or class on a particular topic you’re well-versed in.
The Gift of Encouragement
Do you seem to have a special ability to uplift the discouraged, inspire the downtrodden, and breathe new hope into difficult situations? The gift of encouragement allows you to provide much-needed perspective and inject faith, joy, and strength into people when they’re running low.
This gift is invaluable for walking alongside those going through illness, grief, depression, or other trying circumstances. Simply being present with empathy, a listening ear, and an encouraging word can be a powerful ministry. You could write letters or emails to someone in need of a boost or affirmation. Or share your gift through motivational speaking, a podcast or blog providing uplifting content, or by offering life coaching services.
The Gift of Giving
Some people have been blessed with resources and a special grace for generosity. The ability and sincere desire to share financial gifts, material goods, time, and hospitality with an open-handed spirit positions you to meet crucial needs.
If giving is your gift, prioritize sharing with others sacrificially and cheerfully as needs arise around you. You may enjoy supporting missionaries, charities or families in crisis by providing for them. Or use your resources to show hospitality, opening your home to guests or hosting gatherings to bless others. People with this gift have unique opportunities to serve God by being a cheerful giver and willing to part with their abundance.
The Gift of Art and Creativity
God gives some people unusual creative talents in areas like visual arts, music, dance, writing, design, and more. These artistic gifts have the power to stir souls, express deep truths, capture beauty, process emotions, and ultimately point others to the glory and creativity of our Creator.
Use your creative gifts to craft pieces that put the wonder of God on display or tackle important themes and topics. Volunteer your time and abilities at your church doing graphic design, media production, or performance. Make it your aim to use your creativity to enrich the lives of others, spur worship, shape culture in a positive direction, and inspire others by the glimpses of truth and transcendence captured in your work.
The Gift of Leadership
Some have the motivational ability to rally people around a unified vision and mission. With management skills, decisiveness, and the capacity to develop the gifts of others, these leaders can cast a compelling vision and direct a team to effectively pursue it together.
If you have leadership gifts, view them as an opportunity to serve others by providing a clear sense of ownership, direction, and motivation. Invest in mentoring and equipping others to cultivate their talents and fulfill their purpose. Make sure you’re leveraging your position to empower people, not wielding power over them. Model servant leadership that’s more concerned with building others up than serving your own interests or ambition.
The Gifts of Knowledge and Wisdom
As the saying goes, knowledge is knowing facts while wisdom is the ability to properly apply that knowledge to life situations. Both of these gifts from God are tremendous assets in serving others well. Those with the gift of knowledge and insight into certain subjects can share what they know to advise, guide, and instruct others so they’re better equipped. The wisdom to discern truth, act with prudence, and give counsel allows you to provide invaluable direction to people facing complex decisions and circumstances.
No matter what your specific areas of understanding and sage wisdom encompass, use these gifts to readily share your knowledge, give godly perspective, and graciously course-correct others when needed. Study challenging books, topics, and ideas so you can continue growing in wisdom to impart to others. With humility and care, you can help people avoid mistakes, see things more clearly, and make decisions that honor God.
We All Have Something to Offer
These are just a few examples of the many gifts, talents, and graces we may be blessed with to leverage on behalf of others. But this list is far from exhaustive. You may have the gifts of faith, healing, hospitality, compassion, administration or countless other abilities granted by the Spirit.
The key is to prayerfully consider the gifts you do possess and constantly be on the lookout for needs and opportunities to generously employ them in service to God and your neighbors. None of us can solve every problem or meet every need single-handedly. But when we all use what we’ve been given to play our part, the combined impact on people’s lives can be powerful and lasting.
As Pete put it, we’ve received gifts that are to be used as “faithful stewards” carefully managing and dispensing God’s grace in all its various forms. That means recognizing that our gifts don’t actually belong to us – they’ve been entrusted to us by God to be used for His glory and the benefit of others, not just our own interests.
So we should take inventory of the resources, skills, knowledge, and talents we steward. And we should purposefully use those gifts in service of others with the same diligence, care, and concern we’d have if managing something belonging to someone else. With that stewardly mindset, we can make sure we aren’t hoarding gifts for ourselves or carelessly squandering them.
Embrace Your Purpose
Each one of us has a purpose and calling that’s bigger than simply pursuing our own desires and ambitions. We were created to glorify God by loving others and contributing to the greater good in line with His kingdom priorities. And He’s given each of us a unique mix of gifts and graces to equip us for that larger purpose.
So don’t sell yourself short by thinking you have nothing to offer. Don’t neglect or take for granted the gifts you do possess. And don’t use them merely for your own interests. Embrace your role as a steward, identifying the gifts God has entrusted to you and leveraging them faithfully to bless others, further His work, and shine His light to the world around you.
We may not all have prestigious titles, fancy degrees, huge platforms or tremendous wealth. But we each have something valuable to offer in service of God’s eternal purposes. So take stock of the gifts you’ve received, then go and use them to generously meet the needs around you and display the grace you’ve been shown as one of God’s faithful stewards.