TALENTS AND GIFTS OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT.....(4)
It has been a while since the last
time I wrote about this sermon and promised that the lesson will continue. All
is well and I thank God for this other opportunity He has given us once
again to meditate on His word. Surely it is a blessing.
Today, I love to talk about the
similarities and the differences of talents and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
And this will be answering the second question that we had in the first
session, Are they the same?
Starting exploring the similarities
·
Both talents and gifts of the Holy Spirit are intended to be used on
behalf of the others. They are not to be used selfishly. God gives us the gifts
and talents so that we can share and benefit from them. That is why we are
given different portions but all of them are supposed to be a benefit to all of
us.
·
Both grow as you use them. Using your talents or gifts is one of the
ways of sharpening them. The more you use them, the better they become. So I
encourage you to make use of whatever gift and whatever talent you have.
Now let us talk about the differences
between the two.
·
While talents are inherited through natural birth. They come from the
family tree, gifts are received from the Holy Spirit supernaturally.
·
Talents are possessed by anybody whether saved or not but
gifts of the Spirit resides in believers only.
·
Talents are developed and expected. On the other hand, gifts are matured
and surprising, they are directly proportional to our relationship with God.
·
People may happen to use talents selfishly but the gifts of the Holy
Spirit can not be used selfishly otherwise they will fade away.
That is what we have for today, but
more is to come. There are so many things we can learn concerning gifts and
talents. But in this lesson, I will do my best and may God help me cover all
the basics!
Thanks and God bless you so much!
to be
continued...!!!
Today we are winding up a series of
sermons concerning talents and gifts of the Holy Spirit. So far, we have
covered the meaning, the differences and the similarities of the
two. Today we are going to look at three things:
1.
Where do they come from?
2.
For what purpose? and
3.
How do I discover them in me?
These are the last questions that I promised to answer in this lesson
and a promise is a promise. I pray that the Spirit of God takes us through and
help us understand what ever He is intending to teach us today!
Where do gifts and talents come from?
It is an obvious truth that the gifts and talents come from God Himself.
Even though we have see in the previous lesson that they come in different ways
i.e. the talents are inherited through natural birth meaning talents are
inherited, it is God who releases the talents in that particular family line.
And the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given by the Spirit of God to who ever He
pleases.
Talents and gifts are from God. In
the book of 1 Corinthians 14:1 the bible says "...eagerly desire
spiritual gifts,..." NIV. While talents are inherited, spiritual gifts are given
to us through the Holy Spirit. And the bible tells us to desire them.
For what purpose?
This is very important. It is
not enough just to have gifts and talents and sit back at home admiring
yourself! God gives for a reason. He has a purpose for your life and these are
important for you to accomplish whatever purpose God wants you to.
The bible says, in 1 Corinthians
12:11 "All
these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one,
just as he determines." NIV The Holy Spirits determines how to give, and he says to
each one of us meaning, if you are a believer, the Spirit of God has gifted you
with something, as He determines and so, there is a reason to why you are
gifted or talented with something!
Moreover, the bible says
in " Ephesians 4:12-13 "... to prepare God's people for
works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." NIV
What I came to know is that, when God
gives you something, He wants you to be a blessing to others. Use it to glorify
God. Use it for the body of Christ! Lift Him up.
How do I discover them in me?
It is a very important as well as
most common question in many people. Sometimes it happens you do something for
the first time or several times and you discover that it is something that you
wish to do every night, everyday!
You might want to try a number of
things to see what suits you best concerning talents let's say different sports
or any other activity that you feel might be something for you.
The very important thing is, ask God
to guide you through every step you take and to lead you to where you belong.
I would love to share with you some
few tips I learnt somewhere during a seminar on how to confirm whether now this
is it or not.
1.
Peace and joy: If what you are doing is really
for you, you will feel the fulfillment and the contentment and that will
give you peace and joy.
2.
You will love what you do: There is no
way you will not love what you do without extra effort. Effort is needed in
many things but doing what you love will not torture you.
3.
You will spend much of your time doing that: If what you do really suites you, you will enjoy and spend much of your
time there.
4.
Good results: If what you
do is really for you, you will get good results. A point to note, even though
at first things might not go well, you will still see the light ahead and have
the energy to continue.
5.
People will appreciate what you do: Here I do not mean everyone but most people will respond well on what
you are doing. You will be a good testimony and people will want to learn from
you.
This is what I have for today, I hope you have enjoyed the lesson and
most of all, you were able to get something that will take you to another level
in Christ Jesus.
I have a principle of appreciating
whatever small thing I have and use it for God's glory. I know that God will
bless it and it will multiply. I encourage you to do the same. Remember the
story of the man who gave talents to his servants (You can read it from the
gospel of Mathew 25:14-28). Use whatever God has entrusted you, however small
it may be, God will multiply it! And remember in the last lesson, we said they
both grow as you use them. The more you use your gifts or talents, the more
they grow.
God bless you and thank you so
much!!!
