A Prayer for Using Our Gifts to Glorify God
By: Chelsey DeMatteis
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
I’ll never forget the year I served at VBS as a young adult. I was given a group of 6 incredibly busy boys. Our theme for the week was: God Gives Good Gifts, and I'm here to tell you today, yes He does! These words still linger in my heart to this day, and I pray those boys who are now young men remember it too.
Paul shares with us in 1 Corinthians 12 that out of God's deep love, grace, and mercy for us He gave us good gifts. I'm not talking about the gifts of His blessing that we get to experience on this side of heaven, I'm talking about the gift of Spiritual gifts. These are the gifts that are different for all of us in Christ but from the same Spirit, all different services but from the same Lord, and all shown differently but it’s always the same God who empowers them. God gives good gifts, doesn't He? This is incredibly good news! God handpick specific giftings for you and me.
This brings me such deep joy and peace. Why? Because I can see the very things in my heart that I know were knit by God's wondrous hands. Over the last almost decade of having Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I've gotten to watch the giftings He's given me flourish and from season to season. I vividly remember closing the chapter of my small business, as I walked into the season of motherhood. My husband and I both felt called for me to stay at home and I got to see firsthand through that experience that our giftings don't stop when we transition into new seasons, they just continue in the new place God has us.
I want to wrap up with Paul finishing this portion of scripture about Spiritual giftings, "For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."
This is a beautiful reminder about the heart of God. He knit you and me perfectly and intricately. He made each of us with specific good gifts that will always draw us back to the heart of who He is and bring His glory. I pray that you’ll find yourself thinking today about the specific gifts God’s given you and how you can use those right where He has you.
Let's pray:
Lord, thank you for the giftings you've given me, I pray that as I continue growing in my faith that I will always seek your heart and desire to serve you with the incredible giftings you knit within me. Lord, help me see the ways I can use my gifts in the season you have me in and I pray for a heart that is attentive to your leading.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign/BethanyPyle
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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