Gifted

In the 1960 Olympics, a young sprinter by the name of Earl Young won the gold medal in the 4 x 400m relay, setting a new world record at 3.02.2. 

I heard him speak at church a few years ago and his opening line was, “I have an awesome body!” 

Great hook. He got everyone’s attention. But it was the second sentence that put it in perspective: 

“It is a gift from God.”  

When it comes to athletes, we admire the best of the best. When I watch professional football, I get caught up in the players and teams but find myself saying things like, “How many times does he have to fumble before they pull him out?” This is laughable because I can neither catch, hold, nor throw a football. 

Every man on that line, from the best player to the worst, is an athletic specimen. 1.6% of college football players—fewer than 2 in 100—make it to the NFL. Only .08% of high school students—8 in 10,000—make it to the NFL.  

Yet, we sit in our recliners commenting on the play they should have called or who should be given the ball… 

We do the same thing with people who are exceedingly wealthy. I look at the famous billionaires and think, “If I had billions of dollars, I would not be building a tower with my name on it or flying in my own private plane. I would be feeding the hungry, helping the marginalized, the poor, the sick. I would be making a difference in people’s lives.” 

It is so easy to look at the rich, the famous, the world-renowned, and to contemplate what I would do if I had what they have. But the reality is that God did not only gift the top 1%. He has uniquely gifted each and every one of us. 

In Psalm 139, David marvels at how intimately God knows him. He basically says (this is my paraphrase), “You know what I am going to do before I do it; you know what I am going to say before I say it. You hem me in!” In modern vernacular we might say, “You are all in my personal space!”   

And then he explains why God knows him so well:  

“For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

I love the language of “you created my inmost being.” God didn’t just decide the color of my eyes or my hair or how tall I would be. He decided if I would be an introvert or an extrovert, if I would see the world through my thoughts or my feelings, if I would be funny or unusually perceptive. He chose my natural gifts and the gifts that would be developed with practice. 

Earl Young was born with superior athletic ability that he honed with practice and coaching. He developed a passion for running, winning awards—even the coveted gold medal—and setting a world record.  

When he got too old to compete, he continued to use his gift. Instead of retiring his gold medal, he used it and his fame as his door opener, his ice breaker, his conversation starter so that he could use his spiritual gifts to serve others for God’s glory. 

Later, when he survived cancer, he became passionate about bone marrow donations because they saved his life. His passion shifted as his life circumstances changed, but he continued to find a way to use his gifts.  

When I was born, God also gave me a unique set of talents, and abilities; the ones I have been passionate about have been developed through hard work and perseverance. At my spiritual birth, when I surrendered to Jesus and made him the Lord of my life, God filled me with his Holy Spirit and gave me spiritual gifts, and these are increased as I mature in my relationship with God. It is my burden, my responsibility, to identify those gifts and use them, as Hebrews 2:4 says, for His purpose.  

So, what is the purpose of spiritual gifts?  

When Paul wrote to the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome, he listed some different gifts, likely in response to the particular needs of those churches. 

1 Cor. 12:8-10; 28-30: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, deeds of power, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in different languages, interpretation of languages.  

Ephesians 4:11: Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.  

Romans 12:6-8: Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, showing mercy.  

1 Cor. 12:7 says our gifts are for the common good.  

1 Cor. 14:12 says we need to use our gifts to build up the church.  

1 Peter 4:10-11 adds that we use whatever gifts we have to serve others so that God might be praised.   

Paul cautions Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:14 not to neglect his gift.

In the church, we often talk about “calling” as a way to explain why someone has entered into full-time ministry or into the mission field.    

But, we are each called to use our gifts for the common good. We are called to use our gifts to build up the church. We are called to serve others. We are called to use our gifts to praise God.

In the meantime, God prepares, equips, empowers, trains, and supports the development of our gifts. He gives us the burden of responsibility to use our gifts for his purpose. We don’t have to do it on our own strength or ability. What a burden. What a responsibility. What a privilege.  

Imagine the impact if we all used our spiritual gifts for the common good, to build up the church, to serve others, and to glorify God.