“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself was speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Then do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him, forever and ever! Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT
I invite you to think, as you’re reading this, about your God-given gifts. You realize, don’t you, that each and every person, including you, has been given unique gifts? This is the way God made you. And what makes these gifts “God-given”, is when we use these unique traits and abilities to benefit others.
Let’s amp our reflection up one notch…
What about your passions? Are you passionate…about anything?
Passions can be identified in a variety of ways…but one tried and true method is to ask yourself…
What topic of interest could I stay up all night talking about?
Another insight into our passions is to consider what…lights our fuse. What problem or ill in our world fires you up and makes you say… This just has to stop!
Your passion is…whatever it is that stirs your soul…
Finally then…and this is a favorite for many people…think about what you would describe is your unique style!
Style is the way we work and accomplish tasks, which can either help, or hinder our ability to work with joy!
Here are some questions related to …personal style:
Do you like working alone or on a team?
Do you enjoy dreaming up projects or following a clearly defined plan?
Do you like working with people or instead, working on concrete tasks?
There is one more…uber important factor to throw into the mix of this self reflection..while I have your attention, and it is this:
What kind of attitude do you have toward life in general?
As we have already established, each one of us is born with a unique combination of gifts and passions that foster into the way we choose to serve others, for God.
But without a servants heart…our motives will never be aligned with God’s motives.
Let me explain…
The magnetic pull of the human personality is to look out for number one. This pull can show up anywhere..even when it comes to serving others, in the name, and for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Consequently, our attempts to be compassionate, generous, and other focused, must always have this covenant at it’s core…“Let the same mind be in you, that was in Christ Jesus.” Phil 2:5
In other words, our service to others for God, shouldn’t be so much about the places we go or the things we do..primarily it needs to be about..the people we become through our service.
This is a lot to think about I know..and besides …why did I even bring it up?
Well, in answer to that question…we need you…at First UMC. We need your gifts..your passions…and your style…and we need your attitude of…a servants heart.
Will you consider committing..or maybe recommitting to God and to this church by sharing your gifts, your passions, and your style with us?
I look forward to finding out more about who you are, what gifts you have, what passions stir your soul, as well as what type of style you claim.
I look forward to hearing your story. I look forward to learning how and where you’d like to serve. And I look forward to hearing from you…soon!
Blessings, Pastor Kim