Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

(Continued from Day 256)

The first gift Paul mentions is prophecy. People with this gift are very bold and passionate. They have strong opinions and reactions and lead with courage and supernatural authority.

The second gift is serving. People with this gift often work behind the scenes, helping however is needed. They love to ask, “What do you need?”

The third gift is teaching. People with this gift like to research and study, summarize and communicate. They love to see others grasp new concepts. Teachers tend to be more introverted than those with the gift of prophecy.

The fourth gift is exhortation. People with the gift of exhortation bring hope and faith to even the most demanding situations. Another word for exhortation is encouragement, which literally means “to put courage in.” My father-in-law, Gib, was a pastor, and he had the gift of encouragement. Every week for 18 years, he bought breakfast for a man struggling with drug addiction. Each time, Gib told this man, “Jesus loves you. There’s hope for you. I believe in you. You are going to get clean and sober. If not this week, then the next week. I’ll see you next week.” One day, the man believed Gib and has remained sober ever since.

The fifth gift is generosity. Many people do not have this gift, but those who do love to give. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Now, there is a teaching called prosperity theology, which says you give to get a blessing. But the truth is, you don’t give to get a blessing; giving is the blessing. Everything we have is a gift from God, and He gave it to us to share with others. Generous people find immense joy in looking for needs to meet and then meeting those needs.

My son Gideon has the gift of giving. When he was a little boy, I saw him put a large wad of cash into his pocket. The total was probably around $100. Gideon called it his “walking around money.” Then I received a call from his teacher. She said, “Gideon is a great kid. Every day he finds the kids in school who forgot their lunch money and pays for their food.” When you love people, you don’t use them to make money. You use money to love people.

The sixth gift is leadership. People with this gift call the shots and take the shots. Leaders are motivated by a deep, profound love for the people and are willing to go out front and say, “I will take the arrows so we can advance the mission.” Leaders love people and will do whatever they can to guide and protect them.

The seventh gift is mercy. People with this gift are compassionate, sympathetic, and empathetic. Sometimes they know exactly what to say, and sometimes they know there is nothing to say. Merciful people practice the ministry of presence—they are always there for the broken and hurting because they love them.

It takes all of us to make up the body of Christ, and God allows us to come alongside Him to accomplish His purposes in diverse ways. We all get to join our heavenly Father in ministry and service.

Paul closes verse 8 with an important word: cheerfulness. When we spend our lives serving others, joining Jesus in His ministry work, we have cheerfulness. I love this word because it is also the Greek word for hilariousness. The Christian life is not the easiest, but it’s the most joyful, thanks to the transforming presence, power, and Person of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s Reflection

What are your spiritual gifts? How can you use them to serve the body of Christ?