Bob Hodgdon's Blog
Saturday, September 15, 2007
What is your Gift
What Is Your Gift(ing)
I had a conversation with some friend of mine on Memorial Day when they were over and the question came up, “What is the Will of God for MY LIFE and what is my GIFT?
Without hesitation I was given a tid bit from God about the subject and as crazy as it may sound, the answer was quite simple.
God created each and every one of us differently, with different temperaments, just different ways of handling things in our lives. Have you ever met some one in the Family of God who could love someone into the Kingdom? I know several people like that and consequently 1 John basically tells us that without love we are nothing, if you hate your brother or sister then the love of God is not in you and you are not of God, etc. So now we have to really understand what LOVE is don’t we? Have you ever, as a child or in the case of some, adults, been scolded and even spanked by those in authority over us? I had my share when I was growing up and as an adult had some tongue lashes (spankings). Although this seemed harsh and not what I thought, at the time, love, the cause was for correction and to change the way you were doing something mostly because the person either cared or loved you so much that correction was needed. We all show our love differently. God has told us that the ones he loves, he chastens as a father does his own children. We know God loves us but sometimes we put ourselves in positions that require correction and chastening. In the same way, some people, because of the way they “show their love”, may not be what we think is love. The prophets of old were very direct and most people shuddered when they saw the prophet coming in their direction. Ahab, many time said, (the true prophets of God) never say anything good (or to his benefit). He even killed the prophets of God. The prophets spoke the word of God, the word that was given to them by God, for whomever that word was for. Some didn’t like the way the prophets said it and didn’t feel the love flowing. In all this, different people have different way of expressing themselves in different situations. The testing of all this is, if the counsel, chastening or correction leads you back to Christ, then this is something to seriously consider because it may be from God. Think about it.
Now back to your gifting. Each of us, I’m sure, have had a chance to correct some one in someway back to God. We each do this differently, which is good. We are not all like the person we are sitting beside, working with or living with. We are different. God has created us all differently and it’s when we try to be like those people who are prominent in our lives that we start to lose our own identity. We forget who we are, but when that stressful situation comes along, we quickly come back to who we really are. Don’t we? What on earth does this have to do with gifts??? Simple. Be who you are, and use the tools God has blessed you with to convey the message of God. Don’t be like your neighbor (and we all know who your neighbor is) and don’t be like anyone else but be yourself. You can be angry and not sin, but be led by God in your speech because the Holy Spirit will give you what to say in that moment. I know we all say what seems to us (ourselves) stupid, but the impact those words have in that person’s life may be more than you know. I have had people say many times, remember when you said, that person said, ____________, that really meant a lot to me and made a lot of sense. Your gifting is to spread the word of God in the way God has created you. To do the work of God the way God showed you, not someone else. Be who you are in Christ Jesus and I believe we will all learn to be more satisfied with where we are and how God is using us. It’s when God gives you a direction and you immediately start thinking of how you should do it. Your gift is you. Be yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Go in faith and be yourself, not someone else. Your gift will shine through the more you allow God to use you for whom you are. As much as I try, I will never be a Billy Graham or a Paul or a John or a Peter, or anyone else. I can only be me and allow God to use me and for me to be obedient to God in my way. Even the 12 apostles were different in their own way, and they were all with Jesus for his time here. They didn’t talk the same, explain things the same way but their message was their own way of conveying the many things Jesus told them, showed them and revealed to them to the rest of the world. When you read the Word, you can tell by the wording and the way the message is being written, who wrote the message, just like Billy Graham, the Apostles and all the other pastors, evangelists and those who share the word of God. The main thing here is; leading people to Christ. Be yourself and be who God created you to be, YOU. Yes, God has to fine-tune us from time to time (maybe more often than we care to expose), but that is to get our attention so He can lead. We are called to follow, not lead (pick up your cross and follow). Let’s be all we can for Jesus, giving it our all with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not the way some one else would do it but the way God would have us do it. SO, if someone comes to you and maybe you know this person or maybe you don’t, and this person seems a little harsh and maybe a little to unloving, then maybe it’s God’s way of saying, I tried to get through to you but you weren’t listening, and I had to send so and so to get your attention. The bottom line is, if that word drew you closer to God, regardless how the word was given, remember he is drawing you closer to Him who loves you more than you can fathom. If that’s not love then I don’t know what else it would be. Don’t be critical of others because they don’t conform to your perfect world because God owns it all and all is His. He can do what He wants in the manner He wants without your permission. Be on your toes.
I had a conversation with some friend of mine on Memorial Day when they were over and the question came up, “What is the Will of God for MY LIFE and what is my GIFT?
Without hesitation I was given a tid bit from God about the subject and as crazy as it may sound, the answer was quite simple.
God created each and every one of us differently, with different temperaments, just different ways of handling things in our lives. Have you ever met some one in the Family of God who could love someone into the Kingdom? I know several people like that and consequently 1 John basically tells us that without love we are nothing, if you hate your brother or sister then the love of God is not in you and you are not of God, etc. So now we have to really understand what LOVE is don’t we? Have you ever, as a child or in the case of some, adults, been scolded and even spanked by those in authority over us? I had my share when I was growing up and as an adult had some tongue lashes (spankings). Although this seemed harsh and not what I thought, at the time, love, the cause was for correction and to change the way you were doing something mostly because the person either cared or loved you so much that correction was needed. We all show our love differently. God has told us that the ones he loves, he chastens as a father does his own children. We know God loves us but sometimes we put ourselves in positions that require correction and chastening. In the same way, some people, because of the way they “show their love”, may not be what we think is love. The prophets of old were very direct and most people shuddered when they saw the prophet coming in their direction. Ahab, many time said, (the true prophets of God) never say anything good (or to his benefit). He even killed the prophets of God. The prophets spoke the word of God, the word that was given to them by God, for whomever that word was for. Some didn’t like the way the prophets said it and didn’t feel the love flowing. In all this, different people have different way of expressing themselves in different situations. The testing of all this is, if the counsel, chastening or correction leads you back to Christ, then this is something to seriously consider because it may be from God. Think about it.
Now back to your gifting. Each of us, I’m sure, have had a chance to correct some one in someway back to God. We each do this differently, which is good. We are not all like the person we are sitting beside, working with or living with. We are different. God has created us all differently and it’s when we try to be like those people who are prominent in our lives that we start to lose our own identity. We forget who we are, but when that stressful situation comes along, we quickly come back to who we really are. Don’t we? What on earth does this have to do with gifts??? Simple. Be who you are, and use the tools God has blessed you with to convey the message of God. Don’t be like your neighbor (and we all know who your neighbor is) and don’t be like anyone else but be yourself. You can be angry and not sin, but be led by God in your speech because the Holy Spirit will give you what to say in that moment. I know we all say what seems to us (ourselves) stupid, but the impact those words have in that person’s life may be more than you know. I have had people say many times, remember when you said, that person said, ____________, that really meant a lot to me and made a lot of sense. Your gifting is to spread the word of God in the way God has created you. To do the work of God the way God showed you, not someone else. Be who you are in Christ Jesus and I believe we will all learn to be more satisfied with where we are and how God is using us. It’s when God gives you a direction and you immediately start thinking of how you should do it. Your gift is you. Be yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Go in faith and be yourself, not someone else. Your gift will shine through the more you allow God to use you for whom you are. As much as I try, I will never be a Billy Graham or a Paul or a John or a Peter, or anyone else. I can only be me and allow God to use me and for me to be obedient to God in my way. Even the 12 apostles were different in their own way, and they were all with Jesus for his time here. They didn’t talk the same, explain things the same way but their message was their own way of conveying the many things Jesus told them, showed them and revealed to them to the rest of the world. When you read the Word, you can tell by the wording and the way the message is being written, who wrote the message, just like Billy Graham, the Apostles and all the other pastors, evangelists and those who share the word of God. The main thing here is; leading people to Christ. Be yourself and be who God created you to be, YOU. Yes, God has to fine-tune us from time to time (maybe more often than we care to expose), but that is to get our attention so He can lead. We are called to follow, not lead (pick up your cross and follow). Let’s be all we can for Jesus, giving it our all with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not the way some one else would do it but the way God would have us do it. SO, if someone comes to you and maybe you know this person or maybe you don’t, and this person seems a little harsh and maybe a little to unloving, then maybe it’s God’s way of saying, I tried to get through to you but you weren’t listening, and I had to send so and so to get your attention. The bottom line is, if that word drew you closer to God, regardless how the word was given, remember he is drawing you closer to Him who loves you more than you can fathom. If that’s not love then I don’t know what else it would be. Don’t be critical of others because they don’t conform to your perfect world because God owns it all and all is His. He can do what He wants in the manner He wants without your permission. Be on your toes.
:: posted by Bob Hodgdon, 3:35 PM
