UNDERSTANDING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT

God gives every Christian spiritual gifts that that are essential for building up the Church. When you understand your role in the Body of Christ, the unchangeable features in your life can take on new meaning and bring you to a deeper level of self-acceptance.

Physical scars, difficulties, and infirmities are like the underside of a tapestry. They may appear to make little or no sense in themselves. However, God’s design in giving spiritual gifts is like the top side of the tapestry. His purposes give meaning to everything on the underside.

Gifts at Work in the Body of Christ

The analogy of the physical body helps us picture the vital role of each gift within the Church. A body has many members. Each one carries out specific functions that are needed in order for the entire body to thrive. In the same way, the Body of Christ is made up of many individuals. Each one has an essential contribution to make.

There are seven motivational spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12:6–8. Each Christian has one of these gifts, which shapes his frame of reference. Therefore, seven Christians could have seven different perspectives on any given situation. Each one will have unique insights into how to effectively meet needs and tackle projects. Each perspective brings balance to the operation of the whole.

Instead of becoming frustrated with those who have different perspectives, Christians must communicate and cooperate with each other. When they work together and develop a balanced perspective, their unity and productivity deepen. As Christians learn to value the gifts God gives each believer and to recognize their need for other members of the Body, they will be able to effectively fulfill the assignments God gives to them.

Each Gift Is Essential

All the members of the Church are interdependent. None is inferior. None is superior. God uses all the members to make the Body function as it should. Equal care should be given to each member, because all are needed and necessary for the Body of Christ to experience the abundant life that God has prepared for them. Each member is valuable, regardless of unchangeable features in his design. (See I Corinthians 12:12–31.)

“If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?” (I Corinthians 12:15–16).

“The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you” (I Corinthians 12:21).

Only as all the members of the Body of Christ work together will they be equipped to do what God wants them to do. As you accept God's design for your life and recognize your spiritual gift, you’ll be ready to take on your role in the Church. You will experience the joy and fulfillment of being a vital part of the Body of Christ.