We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
if it is serving, then serve;
if it is teaching, then teach;
if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;
if it is giving, then give generously;
if it is to lead, do it diligently;
if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:6-8
Have you ever had a day, or perhaps a season, where you wonder if the gift you have been so faithfully offering is really worth offering? Maybe it feels tired or lackluster. Somehow it doesn’t have the same appeal it once did. Perhaps it doesn’t seem to be received by others the way it once was, so you begin to wonder if it is even a gift at all. You begin to doubt the gift, its value, or even its existence AS a gift.
It is in these moments that we must be diligent in our faith that God and his gifts don’t get tired. They don’t wear out or become irrelevant. A person’s response, or lack thereof, does not disqualify the gift we are offering or the fact that it comes from God. After all, we are simply the conduit through which our Father is offering that gift to the one in front of us! It is God’s gift, given to us, to be given away. So how do we maintain our perspective? Romans continues with a solid plan…
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Romans 12:9-11
There is no hiding behind a mask. Loving must be sincere. Of course, the tricky part is that we, too, are people. Often swayed by circumstances and tripped up by our own shortcomings. So, on a bad day, we might be tempted to love others insincerely. Fake it. Put on a happy face. But the truth of the matter is that the mask we so skillfully place on our hearts is transparent, opaque at best, and our insincerity is glaringly apparent to those around us. We must reject the temptation to take the shortcut and cling to God’s good so that we carry the capacity to be devoted to and honor one another. It is in God’s presence that we tend the fire of zeal and spiritual fervor of serving our Lord with his gifts.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
Then, because he is a good Father, he gives us hope to be joyful in – the gift of patience when we are afflicted – and welcomes us into communion with him. Not only does he give us the gifts that he asks us to give away, he also walks with us in the giving of them. He doesn’t leave us empty-handed or alone. He never says, “Good luck! I’ve done all I can so now it is up to you! Hope it all works out…” THANK GOD! No, we serve a loving God who always has our best in mind; who operates out of his extravagant love for our best and his glory. We are loved and pursued by a God who, at every turn and every opportunity, whispers…
You are adored.
You Are Adored 