Daily Devotional for Sunday, August 3

Whatever Your Gift, Use It for God

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus earne Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever,” 1 Peter 4:10, 11.

When I first surrendered to the gospel ministry, I began to notice other people’s preaching styles. As I started preaching, I discovered that I was the type of preacher that I did not like to listen to. The longer you preach, you begin to settle into the type of preacher you will be, so I decided to try to emulate and change my style to the style of those I enjoyed listening to. To my dismay, I found out that I cannot preach like somebody else but have to be myself. Over the years God has changed my style somewhat, but I just had to preach the Word God gave me to preach, and He would be in charge of how it would be used and received.

Sometimes you do not appreciate the gift God has given you and wish you had, what you perceive to be, a more exciting or important gift. God does not need you to be someone else or try to exercise a gift that is not unique to you and for you. God has called you to use your gift (verse 10) and gives you the grace to be able to use it how He wants it to be used, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Ephesians 4:7). The key is always using your gift for the Lord.

REFLECTION

God did not make a mistake in the gift that He gave you.

He just needs you to use it for His honor and glory.

Tim Chambers