Thursday, December 9, 2010

Spiritual Gifts

In my devotion published today, I looked at what a gracious giver God is. He gives us physical life, eternal life, family, mercy, peace, wisdom, joy, grace, rest, His spirit, guidance, a spiritual inheritance and more!  This is a God who provides -- often lavishly.

I'm wondering which of His gifts you need or long to embrace today?

Another thing God gives each of us is a spiritual gift - a gift, passion or talent placed within us by Yahweh Himself to benefit others.  And, when we use or "give" that spiritual gift He has given us, He is glorified, others benefit and a portion of our purpose is fulfilled. That's a win-win-win.

As a young woman in college who'd just met Jesus Christ and encountered this notion of gifting and calling, I desperately wanted to know what gifts God had placed in me. How did He want me to serve Him? What was I hard-wired to do?  Where would I excel - how could I help the body of Christ?  I prayed soooo many prayers asking these questions, and pleading for Him to show me the answers. I constantly reminded Him I wanted to serve Him, but I didn't know how.

The answers to my questions were all there, I just couldn't bring them into focus yet.  As a teen I longed to work in an airport because I loved the atmosphere and the excitement of travel. In college, I decided to major in journalism, where I learned to write.  A professor asked me to volunteer as an editor for the school newspaper, so I did. A couple years later, my church  needed volunteers to work in the church bookstore - I happily agreed to do it. I was doing a ton of reading anyway. Then, after graduate school where I learned to research, the university in my town asked me to teach public speaking classes for them.

Today I am a Christian author, editor of  P31's Encouragement for Today devotions, and a traveling speaker for women's events across the country.  It's all there. God prepared me each step of the way, only I didn't fully know it at the time.  I couldn't back far enough away from my own life to see the big picture coming together.

One thing along the way that did help me get some of that big picture perspective, and glimpse what my gifts are and are not, was taking spiritual gifts questionnaires.  If you've never taken one, or it's been several years, I encourage you to take one today.  Here's a link to one to try.  Just answer the questions quick and honest. 

It's important to know your God-given strengths and your weaknesses. And remember, He can shine through both of those. So go take the questionnaire - it will likely take you 20 minutes or so.

Leave a comment today telling me which gift of God talked about in the devotion you need, or tell me  your top spiritual gifts based on the questionnaire or experience. On Friday I'll announce a winner to receive a copy of my new book It's No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know.

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."  ~ Romans 12:6-8, NLT

Grateful for God's gifts. 

46 comments:

  1. I took the survey, Faith, Hospitality & Service were the top three.
    I am so thankful you're talking about this. I've been thinking a lot lately about my spiritual gifts, wondering what I had to bring to God. Aching to serve Him but feeling so incompetent and ill equipped to do so.
    Your blog is such an encouragement to me, and I'm so thankful for your words that bring me such hope and healing, on different occasions. :)

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  2. the top ones were Service, Shepherd, helps & Intercession. Thanks you for your encouraging devotion.

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  3. Good Morning,

    Rachel I need from GOD this year the personal counselor! As I struggle trying to parent two teenage boys! I sometimes think I am too hard and others beat myself up for being too easy.I thought the hardest part was when they were babies boy was I wrong!Pray that I stay sane and make Godly decisions!

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  4. I need from God more of His Holy Spirit to be my personal counselor. In my family there are so many emotional ups and downs, from marriage problems and a rebellious child to the anticipation of 2 of our children getting married next year. Every day I find that the conflict between happiness and sadness, peace and conflict, joy and grief is totally exhausting.
    Thanks for reminding me that I can go to God every day, EVERY MINUTE! and he will comfort me with his 'awesome gifts' of physical life,( I am healthy), eternal life,( I am born again), family, wisdom, peace, joy, rest, a personal counselor, (His Holy Spirit) and an inheritance.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  5. I took the survey and service and giving were my top two.

    This is a great topic. Thanks Rachel for sharing with us.

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  6. I need God's gift of counseling this year to help guide me to be the wife my retiring husband will need. This time in our lives will be a big change for us as well as a challenge.
    Blessings,la

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  7. Anytime I have taken the gifts survey adminstration is ALWAYS number 1. the gift I would love to be blessed with this coming year for God to grant me wisdom and for Him to be my personal counselor!

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  8. The gift I need is peace in my heart and mind. I let too many little things get to me.

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  9. Rachel,

    This is the first visit to your blog, and I must say, I will return!! I am so very thankful for the encouragement I have discovered here and at Proverbs 31 Ministries! God has blessed me with wonderful children and grandchildren. I think that what I need from God at this time is peace and wisdom. Peace in our times of struggle, financially and emotionally, at this time of year. Although my husband has a full-time job, he has had part (20+/-) time hours for many months. We have depleted our savings and are barely making ends meet. For the first time in my 48 years, we are facing Christmas without gifts for our children and grandchildren; we are still facing weeks of no groceries so we can buy oil. It is a struggle many in the country share I know and the worry overtakes sometimes. I truly need God's peace in these things to just blanket my mind and heart!! His wisdom to know where to go with finances as well as using this as a lesson to our children and grandchildren as to God's faithfulness and the true meaning of the season.

    Thank you again for your wonderful encouragements, and I thank God for the daily devotions and blogs I have found here! May God bless you all richly,

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  10. I took the survey and the results had knowledge, intercession and teaching as the top three gifts. All things that minister most within the body. I know that my weakness lies in evangelism. What I would love from God is a burning burden for the lost and a boldness to witness and share the lifesaving love and grace of Jesus. Also for Him to increase and me to decrease daily.

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  11. Knowledge, Spiritual Discernment and Leadership were my top three. I am in need of peace right now. Thanks for the encouragement and realness you provide.

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  12. I went through the questionnaire and my top three were Faith, Giving, & Mercy.

    I am seeking and needing God's gift of guidance. I need him to lead me in the right path and give me insight to help with fighting my battles. Your devotion today had really pulled at my heart and was meant for me this week. I have been struggling with my faith and now i see that i have lost my way and God is trying to lead me back home. I am believing that I will find my way back into his loving arms and where I need to be.

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  13. During the holiday season I choose to have the gift of rest and joy!

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  14. What a great devotion. It is so awesome to look at the things God has given us in that way!! this coming year I am looking for peace and wisdome. I tend to take on too much and find myself lacking in time for myself and my family. I pray that I will know God's direction for my life and which things to say 'yes' to.

    Unfortunately I have to get my kids off to school, so I can't take the gifts survey right now, but I will be back!!!

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  15. Emily B (emleepc@yahoo.com)December 09, 2010

    I'm going to take the survey again, cause it's been YEARS since I've taken one. At that time, it was Encouragement that was my strongest point...I'm curious to know if it's still the same, or if a gift has developed more over the years.

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  16. I need God's gift of guidance these days. My marriage is struggling and the more I look at things the more I blame my own hurtful actions. I pray he shows me how to be a better wife for my husband.
    Krystal D

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  17. I took the Spiritual Gifts survey and was blessed by my results! I scored highest in service, followed by tongues, administration and helps. But it was also surprising and humbling to see the scores just under those. I am so grateful that God chose to share these gifts with me! Today, I am in need of guidance and rest. I am going through a difficult time in my life and my faith is strong, but I'm tired. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!
    God Bless!

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  18. What a wonderful post to meditate and ponder. I have the gifts of service, hospitality, giving, and mercy. I need to settle and be more still to draw in to God more of His peace and wisdom to be the Godly woman, wife, and mom I am called to be, the one I so want to be with His guidance and help.

    Sweet Blessings for a Merry CHRISTmas!

    Donna

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  19. rest is what I need. I am feeling overwhelmed at the moment and feel like I just have no time to be with God in his presence and in HIs arms I so need that right now more than anything.

    Blessings and thank you for the encouragement.

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  20. I need the gifts of peace, wisdom and direction and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

    Thanks Rachel! Reading your book, and really liking it.

    Andrea

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  21. Hi Rachel, I took the test and scored highest in Faith, Giving, Mercy, and Service. In the past my highest was Administration! Thank God for you and all the P31 friends.

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  22. When I took the survey it confirmed what I alredy knew about myself. I scored highest in Shepherd and Teaching. But I also scored high in Wisdom and Discerning of Spirits. A bit of a surprise but when I think on it makes a lot of sense.

    I am not in ministry at the church I have been attending but would love to be. I left my old church where I was totally involved in ministry because of a series of difficulties that I could not resolve. Won't go into details. I am praying for the opportunity at my new church. Please pray with me.

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  23. The spiritual gift I need most right now is wisdom. My husband and I are in the process of getting out of debt. We want to do this God's way and to honor him. Please pray that we will be obedient to Him and will seek and understand His wisdom in this area of our lives.

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  24. I think the gift I need the most right now is for my teenage son to show me some love & hear him say thank you for all that I do for him!

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  25. Peace is the gift of God I want under my tree.

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  26. I need peace! I am having surgery in less than two weeks. I am a little scared/nervous about the surgery and really need God's peace!

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  27. Thanks for the beautiful reminder of all His have given us, how easily I forget. In this season, I have been given wonderful opportunities in which my faith has been tested to endure. I was one who so clearly and beautifully saw the gifts of others so easily, yet could not see my own. As God has brought them into focus, I eagerly receive His manna, on day at a time, trusting He prepares and shows His timing (not mine) to be perfect. Until my "next", I will keep praying, reading, and be thankful. Have a wonderful Christmas Rachel!

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  28. Rachel- Thank you so much for your devotions--I so much relate to them. I plan to take the gift test. I have taken it in the past and I feel the need to take it again. Thanks for the link--I am also going to forward your devotion to a friend. Your devotion touched me today- in that it reminded me of all I have to be thankful for. I am going thru a relationship break up and needed to be reminded of all the things that I have to be thankful for. I am praying for wisdom and grace to handle my problem. Please pray for me. God Bless you and your family.

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  29. I took the survey and my top 5 were Giving, Faith, Intercession, Service and Mercy.
    I'm 27 and I feel like I haven't done anything significant with my life. I've graduated college but I don't feel like I've done anything worthwhile since then. Please pray for me. I know that God has called me to service of others. I dream to one day start a non-rofit for girls. But I have no clue how to get there.
    Mimi
    myrlanded@gmail.com

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  30. I have as number 1 prophecy, 2, exhortation, giving, miracles, number 3. shepherd,missionary. This is helpful now I know why some people don't like me and don't want me around. I understand. Everything in the top is with speaking which is conforting because i wasn't sure if I should be doing what I do now. Also I don't have to worry about who doesn't like me but focus on where I fit.

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  31. i need to learn how to recieve, thats all for now.

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  32. Service is my gift...I love to serve other's in His name. From cleaning up after church functions to World Changers and volunteering at Passion events...I love to serve!

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  33. Thank you Rachel for your insightful blog.. I am searching for my gifts, as many of us are.. but I find that the enemy is quick to shoot me down with outside negatives..We as women are so good at feeling incompetent sometimes. I am sooo grateful for His Holy Spirit, my comforting counselor. He makes me want to continue to serve Him, with my gifts (no matter how small) each day!

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  34. Patricia GrableDecember 09, 2010

    I took the survey - It confirmed what I have discovered when teach the Precept Upon Precept Spiritual Gifts class -- Discerning of Spirits, Teaching, Knowledge are among the strongest gifts I have. Thank you for your blog today.
    It is encouraging to our hearts.
    Hoping to win the gift! :0)
    Tricia Grable
    patricia.grable@wsdtx.org

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  35. I struggle daily with worry so peace would be the present I most need to unwrap from the Lord. Thanks for your inspiring devotion.

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  36. I struggle with worry so I most need to unwrap the present of peace. Thanks for your inspiring devotion today.

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  37. There is nothing more fulfilling than walking in the gifts designed just for me. I did take the survey just to see what my score would be and hospitality, exhortation, and intercession were the top 3. I already see God using me in these 3 areas and look forward to the opportunities I know HE will provide in the future.

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  38. I haven't taken the survey yet; however, I know that I need the gift of wisdom. You see, when I took my children, (ages 15, 13, and 2) trick-or-treating this past Halloween, we stopped at a local church to participate in their "trunk-or-treat". A lady was dressed as Jonah, and asked my children if they knew who she was. Even after she started telling the story of Jonah and the whale, they looked at her dumbfounded. They hadn't a clue what she was talking about. I was very ashamed, and am embarrassed to admit that my children have never been in church. Since that night, it has really been bothering me that my children don't even know how to pray. Because of the schedule that I work at my job, taking them to church on Sunday mornings is not an option, so I have decided to set aside a time each week for devotionals where I will teach them the Word of God. We are going to start in Genesis, "In the beginning", and go all the way through the Bible. I pray that God will give me the wisdom I need to teach them what they need to know in order to make Him number 1 in their lives. I must admit, too, that I haven't lived the most "Godly" life over the past several years, so these devotionals will refresh me as well.

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  39. Rachel, and all dear readers - I desperately want my extended family to come to Christ, especially my husband's grandfather. Tomorrow he will be having a risky surgery, and he is not a believer. He has serious doubts about God's love and fairness, having watched his wife waste away with cancer. Please, please pray he will not leave this world without first accepting Jesus as his Savior & Leader. Thank you so much...

    Alicia*, astarr13@carolina.rr.com

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  40. Rachel I need from GOD this year the personal counselor in a big way. My marriage is rocky, we have blended two hurting families each lost a spouse/parent and we are dealing with a teen who has not accepted her "stepmom". We are falling apart and I am weary. Thank you for being a gift of sunshine!
    kareng

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  41. Our church took a spiritual gifts test while reading The Purpose Driven Life. My main gift is encouragement. I love to write notes to encourage people and keep cards/stationery where I have my morning devotions. So many times God has prompted me to write a note of encouragement to someone and I was told the words I sent were just what they needed or came at the right time. I'm always amazed how God uses my words because most of the time once I put the card in the mail, I don't even remember what I wrote. That's how I know the words they received were truly from the Lord, not from me!

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  42. Hi Rachel,

    I took the survey and Faith, Mercy and Wisdom were the top three gifts (Mercy and wisdom had the same #.) From the answers I gave, I was surprised by the results.

    What I feel I need most from the Lord is a deep desire to go deeper in His Word and to tell others about Him with boldness.

    Thanks for today's devotion, Rachel. It was a timely one.

    Blessings to you!
    Dale

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  43. I would like to have the gift of hospitality more! I so love being on the receiving end of hospitality and wish I had the gift to bless others with! Love your site and devotions!

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  44. I need the gift of wisdom today Rachel. My mother broke her hip and has been in rehab. She lives on the east coast and I live on the west. I have my ticket to go and help her when she gets out of rehab and still get back home right before Christmas to be with my family. Her release date was moved out so I need to decide what is the right thing to do...change my arrangement and stay with her over Christmas or enlist others to help her until I can get there after Christmas.

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  45. I haven't taken the test yet but will try to do it this weekend. I always felt I was not equippend to do anything for God. After the fifth surgery on my neck, I started thinking about the large number of people in our church and felt led to start a card ministry. I talked with the pastor and he was agreeable and even told me some things he would like to see happen with some of the cards. He gave me some cards the church had but when I started getting the list of people to send them to I knew those cards would not work so I bought an inspirational card software program and by using it and with God's help I started making the cards. I did that for 6 years. It was such a blessing for me to be able to lift the spirits of those who were sick, either short term, chronically or terminally or had lost a loved one. It was so amazing how people who received the cards were so appreciative. After back surgery in 2007 I stopped simply because I felt it was the right time. The church had changed pastors, a lot of new people came in that I did not know. The Lord always helped me by putting something on my mind that I could use in a card but that stopped so I felt I had the Lord's blessing to end it. There's another gift that God has given me that I may tell you about later.

    Thank you Rachel for being an encourager and helping us to seek God's will for our lives.
    AliceE.

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  46. I think I need perseverance or rest because I'm feeling weak for the challenges of daily life.

    On the questionnaire I was highest on mercy, hospitality and intercessor.

    Teresa C.

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