Stewardship Involves Using Your Talents and Gift for God’s Glory

This is the third in a series of posts on Stewardship to read the first post click here, and the second is located here.

God gives us many gifts, including those of the fruit of the spirit. He also gives us spiritual gifts, a gift that comes to individual believers to supernaturally enable them to do that which God has called them to do.

Using our spiritual gifts is another way that we can give back to God, another way that we can commit a spiritual act of worship.

Spiritual gifts are often confused with natural talents. Let me explain the differences.

· Spiritual Gift is from God, independent of parents.
· Natural Talent is from God, but through parents.
· Spiritual Gifts are from new birth.
· Natural Talents are from birth.
· Spiritual gifts are to benefit others on a spiritual level.
· Natural gifts are to benefit others on a natural level. When used alongside spiritual gifts this can be a spiritual benefit.
· Spiritual gifts we recognize, develop and exercise them in His power.
· Natural gifts we recognize, develop and exercise in your own power, through training, practice.
· Spiritual gifts are dedicated to God fro his use and glory.
· Natural talents are dedicated by believers to God for his use and glory, but not necessarily always.

Spiritual gifts are also different from those fruit of the spirit we spoke of earlier. The difference here is that Spiritual gift has to do with service, what you do.
Fruit of the spirit is in your character, what comes out of you, as a result of God’s work in you.

Every believers gift is essential to the proper functioning of the body of Christ.

This is why God calls us also to be good “stewards” of those gifts he has given to us. There are gifts for everyone, and every believer has a gift he is given to use to glorify God. There are gifts of service, mercy, giving, healing, leadership, teaching, discernment, shepherding, witnessing, and evangelism. We could talk for hours about spiritual gifts. But, the important thing to remember here is once you’ve discovered what yours is, and you do this by seeking God and my being willing to serve him and others. You then need to use your gift in your local church to glorify God.

Then, there are those natural talents we spoke of. Natural talents such as the ability to sing, or draw, maybe even play a sport. Those natural talents are also given to us by God. These natural talents may not always be used for God’s glory, unlike spiritual gifts one can use their natural talents or abilities for their own gain, or praise. I’m sure you can think of famous people who have done this and selfishly sought success, wealth, popularity, whatever the case may be. However, you can use your natural talents for God’s glory as well and to lead others to God as a result.

How many of you watched last season’s American Idol. Were you Mandisa fan’s? Mandisa publically confessed her faith in Jesus on stage in front of millions of Americans. After being voted off of American Idol Mandisa did not stop glorifying God. Soon she will release an album “True Beauty” in the Christian music circuit. She is a perfect example of using your “talent” to glorify God.

I challenge you to use whatever talent, gift or ability you have for God and for his glory.