Why is it that when people think of
“ministry” they think of being an usher or nursery duty? When they consider
what gifts they have, it’s always athletics, arts and music? When the gifts of
the Spirit come up, tongues is almost exclusively the one that gets recognized?
Why do we have such a shallow, narrow view of God and His work?
God
is the author of creativity. Think about it, the same God who designed a blue
whale, also made a butterfly. You don’t get a whole lot different than that.
Yet both are beautiful and majestic in their own right. As evidenced in
creation, God loves beauty and detail. Only God would think to put an explosive
mechanism in a beetle that can be detonated at will. The symbiotic relationships
between the most unlikely of creatures shows His sense of humor and His
unfailing attention to what seems like minisule details. If God could give such
diversity to His creation, how much more can He give diversity of gifts to His
people. After all, He made us all differently. We each have a personality all
our own, passions, talents, stories that belong exclusively to us. Why could He
not use each one of those for His glory?
Romans
12:4-9 gives an often overlooked list of gifts that God gives His people to use
– “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the
same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members
of one body. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given
to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our
faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in
teaching; he who exhorts in exhortation; he who gives with liberality; he who
leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Wait, what!!!
Leading is a gift. Exhorting is a gift? Giving is a gift? Showing mercy is a
gift?
I
will never forget the first time God told me that He wanted me to clown.
I was indignant. I looked around me, sure He was talking to someone else. I
mean, it’s not my personality! I’m not
light-hearted, I’m not goofy, I’m not funny!!! Regardless, this idea of putting
on a stupid looking costume and painting up my face and making people laugh
would not go away. So when the next parade rolled around, I recruited my
cousin, we dressed up and hit the streets. Yes, we crashed the Independence Day
Parade . . .and had a blast, I might add. It was the most incredible ministry
I’ve ever been involved in. By catching people off their guard, we were able to
minister Jesus to them in a way that made them receptive rather than defensive,
in a way no plain-clothes Christian could. And we made them laugh in the
process. It was awesome!
God taught me two lessons through that
experience.
1. I am more able to recognize His gifts when I am in tune with
what the needs of people are. Everyone needs food, we all recognize that. But
do we recognize that people need encouragement? They need to laugh. They need
to be listened to. Sometimes, they just need to be held. Those are gifts too.
Compassion, mercy, exhortation are all as legitimate are tongues and
healing are.
2. God often gives you gifts you wouldn’t necessarily recognize
in yourself, just so that He gets the glory. I never would have seen myself as
a clown. I still don’t see myself as a clown. I struggle and fight against it
because it’s not the me that I most readily expose. But when I do it, I know beyond
the shadow of a doubt that I am in His will, being exactly who He created me to
be. And when people see it come out, they have no choice but to give the glory
to God because they know that it’s not me. J
Isn’t
that what it’s all about anyway? God doesn’t give His gifts so that we can puff
ourselves up. Honestly, how seriously can you take yourself when you look like
an idiot? If the Holy Spirit does not draw attention to Himself, but directs
our eyes to Christ, how much more should we be doing the same thing?
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Application:
Today, I will take mental note of the gifts of those around me, hidden or not,
so that I can encourage them to use those gifts to the glory of God.
