Will You Leave an Eternal Impact ? By John Bevere
Each one of us were born on purpose , for a purpose . We all have a gift or gifts that have been entrusted to us by God . These unique gifts on our life compliment our callings and enable us to function effectively in them . Peter explained :
As each one has received a gift , minister it to one another , as good stewards of the manifold grace of God . ( 1 Peter 4:10 NKJV )
There are three words to immediately note : gift , grace , and stewards . First , Peter makes it clear that everyone has received a gift , not just those in ministry positions . Second , we are stewards of those gifts and we are expected to use them for the benefit of others . Third is grace , which is God ’ s empowerment that enables us to perform beyond our natural ability . The word manifold here means “ of various kinds .” God ’ s grace is expressed differently through each of us . It would take too many pages to list the various gifts God has given to His people . Some gifts are obvious in their connection to building the kingdom , while many more are not as easy to identify . But one thing is certain , most of these gifts don ’ t function within the confines of the four walls of the church .
So here ’ s the more important takeaway : The gifts of God on your life are not for you ; they are for others to benefit through you . For instance , the gift of writing and speaking are not for me but for you . The gift of leading is not for me but for those I lead , and so forth . With this in mind , we can use our gifts in one of three ways : to build the kingdom , to build ourselves , or we can neglect them , not using them at all .
Motivation is critical to the stewardship of our giftings . Adolf Hitler was a gifted leader and could have led his nation in a way that would have benefited millions of Germans , Jews , Russians , French , British , and so forth . Did he use this gift for God ’ s glory or to benefit himself
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