Leo Buscaglia says, “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it, is your gift back to God.” This quote hit me so hard because lately God has really been challenging me in the area of using my gifts for His Glory. We live in a world where it can be hard to live out our gifts and talents, but once we gain understanding of the avenues in which we can serve, our lives become that much more meaningful. I want to really encourage everyone, that it’s possible to operate in a secular world, while maintaining focus on the gifts that God has given us.
We all have been created with unique and special gifts. Some of us have been gifted with the ability to teach, write, preach, and heal. The amazing fact is that there is no gift that is greater than another. There are so many avenues in which we can use our gifts to further the Kingdom. For instance, I love to write. I firmly believe that writing can lead someone to Jesus just like a preacher or anyone else can, and vice versa. Someone who has a gift of teaching would be able to go to school to become a teacher, to influence their students for Christ. I just love how God has made us all with sense of our gifts, and how we can use them to glorify our Gift Giver.
Even in the music industry, there is a huge need for positive artists who actually care about the content that they deliver. Some people that need to be reached may not quite understand what a pastor is saying, but they may better understand the message of a teacher or an artist or even an author. 1 Corinthians 12:12 explains that we are one body with one goal, but we have different parts that do different roles to achieve that one goal. This also means that we need people in different areas to bring others to the love of Jesus.
Mckenna Cua brings an amazing point by saying, “preaching is proclaiming the truth, and teaching is the informing of the truth.” This epitomizes the fact that there are many different ways to use gifts to bring people to Jesus. As a teacher, one would have a pressing on their heart to influence their kids in a positive way, so that they could show people the way in response. A preacher brings the message of the gospel, and proclaims the same truth, just in a different setting. We all play such a major role in showing the world why we believe in Jesus. 1 Corinthians 12:28 perfectly illustrates the purpose of our different gifts.
Overall, God is the Perfect Creator. He has infused us all with gifts that can help bring the gospel to the world. We are most powerful when we use our gifts, and bringing glory to Christ who has blessed us so richly with these gifts. It can be hard at times to effectively be a witness in a secular world, but because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we are more than conquerors through Christ, that we may live in power so that we can show other people what their gifts are. When we do this, our lives will be whole and full of power, ready to change the world.
