How do you discover your spiritual gifts? They are almost certainly linked to your natural talents. God knew what he was doing when he created you. He knew what he was doing when he was governing your life. He has already prepared us for future ministry. What are you good at? What has God equipped you to do? How has he put you together as a person? It is very unlikely that God is going to call you to do something that you are utterly unqualified to do. I like the realism of 1 Chronicles 15:22,
Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in the music, should direct the music, for he was skillful at it.That makes good sense. If you are looking for a presenter, you are probably going to pick someone who can sing. So, here is help in discovering our gifts: look at how God has made us, put us together, and discover what sort of people we are.Hope
Remember the work of the Spirit. He develops your talents. He improves your talents. He reveals things in you that you did not know you had. He shows gifts that you were not aware of. They are the gifts of the Spirit. They are things that you and I may be able to do for God that we do not realise we have.
Humility
Remember that all we do is dependent on God. Gifts are talents used by God. The greatest talents are useless, if God does not use them. It is God’s use that makes the difference.
Happiness
God wants you to do, almost certainly, what you like to do, what you are good at doing, what suits you, and what fits you perfectly. Do you remember Eric Liddell? He said,
when I run I feel God’s pleasure.He is a kind Father and a wise Father. I am not saying that it is not hard at times, and that service of God is not difficult, not testing, and not costly. It is, but on the whole God wants us to be satisfied in serving him. He wants us to feel that we are able to do it, that we can cope with it, that we were made for this, and that we are designed for this. How fulfilling that is! But how tragic it is seeing God’s people trying to do things they are not cut out for. They are never going to be any good at it. They are never going to do it properly.So, let us reflect on this. Gifts are related to our natural talents; they are not divorced from them. Gifts are talents redirected by the Spirit for God’s glory, developed by the Spirit, and used by the Spirit. How fulfilling to serve him in this way!1
Edward Donnelly
22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.