I find it helpful to conceive of the gifts that God gives His people through His Spirit as akin to our "first names." We all share God's "last name," that is, Paul makes clear in Ephesians 1:5 that we have been adopted into God's family. But that doesn't mean that all who share the same "last name" are the same! God created us diverse and He delights in the diversity of His family!
That's where our "first names" come in. Some of us have been gifted as teachers, others as prophets. Some of us can build and others can fix. Some are artistic, while others are poetic. I reckon that the only limitation to how God manifest Himself in our lives resides in our own lack of imagination.
The guiding characteristic of God's gifts to His Church is that they function “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until all of us come… to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). So with that being the case, you are invited to reflect upon the following, alone and in community:
How has God blessed you with the capacity to bless others?
How might you put that spiritual gifting into practice in the coming week?
We often approach this passage about spiritual gifts through the lens of our individual selves. How might we as a community, as Kenai Fellowship, be uniquely gifted to reveal the presence of God to our wider community?
Is it difficult to receive the gift of God? If so, why? What stands in the way?
My prayer for us: Almighty, creative God, who delights in diversity and gifts us with different gifts united in one Spirit, grant us the courage to discover our gifts, if we don’t know them, and to utilize our gifts, if we do. In all things, may we strive together to become in all fullness who You say we already are. In the name of Jesus and in the power of Your Spirit, I pray. Amen
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