It’s going to be a beautiful week! Get out if you can and enjoy the warmer temps and sunny skies! Hopefully you won’t spend all of your time outside but you will find the time to complete your Spiritual Gifts Inventory this week.
I came across this in my reading and thought it would give you a great example of why everyone’s gifts are needed to effectively minister. This example is about how the various gifts might be employed in a neighborhood setting, something that we have been emphasizing for the last six weeks or so. Follow along:
Let’s say a neighbor finds themselves ill and bedridden for a month. If that person’s neighbors have varying gifts, how might they use them in ministering to that person?
- Prophesy (under edifying)– Remember not predicting! Someone who desires to see God’s will be done. This person may pray for the ill one both at their bedside and in private, praying for strength and endurance according to God’s will.
- Servant – will take over meals, run errands, do housework, mow the yard.
- Teacher– may struggle to relate a little but will bring over some good books that might scripturally strengthen the ill one for the journey.
- Encourager – if you are gifted in this area you are probably there right away at bedside sharing uplifting bible verses for improving their spirits.
- Giving – will bring food and other gifts but probably more important in this situation giving of time talking and listening.
- Leadership– will find out the person’s needs and go around organizing the other neighbors to meet those needs. Set up a meal train or a schedule of rides to doctors appointments for example.
- Kindness/Compassion– this person will ask how the ill neighbor feels, empathize, give hugs, maybe even cry with the neighbor and will often sit by the bedside for hours.
It will take all of us to meet the neighbor’s needs. The Leader is good at organizing but not be as much of an encourager. His or her time is better spent scheduling and securing volunteers. That doesn’t mean they can’t share some encouraging words but not like the Encourager can. The Giver may not be good at organizing the neighbors to help but has time to give and will ask for help if need be.
It will be good to gather together next Sunday to find out “Whadjuget?” (Hint: the title of next week’s message!
P.R.
