A few gifts for you

So we're on this series about spiritual gifts and I didn't get a chance to finish teaching about a few of the gifts on Sunday morning so I'm going to post some thoughts on here about three of the gifts from Romans 12 that I didn't get to talk about yesterday morning.

The Gift of Giving - Romans 12:8 ...he who gives, give with all liberality.
Is giving a gift? Yes, absolutely. It's a pattern we see over and over again in the new testament, not only in the church as it was operating in the book of Acts, but Paul sprinkles details in almost every epistle about one church giving to another or one person giving to others. Certain people have an ability to make money, those are who God uses with the gift of giving. That doesn't mean that you can't give if you don't make a lot of money, but just like the other gifts, some will have more ability to do so than others. If you have the gift of giving some basic characteristics are that you are inspired to give, not by a preacher, but by an inner motivation to see the kingdom of God advance on earth. The perspective on money, as a whole, is different as well. Money is seen as simply a tool to be used to bless others through the ministry of the church. That reminds me of a saying, "Money is a horrible master, but a wonderful slave."

On the flip side, some of the things you must guard yourself against are the idea that giving gives you the right to be critical of what others do with their own money. It can also be difficult to not want to control what is done with finances if you have given a large portion of what is being used. By far, the most serious error to be on guard against is the problem of giving so much to the church that your family suffers, that is not the gift of giving, nor is it the will of God.

Scriptures about the gift of giving : 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 4:36-37

The gift of Leadership (or administration) - Romans 12:8 ...he who leads, with diligence.
While we are all part of the body of which Christ is the head, we still need people with the gift of leadership. We need leaders. Leaders have vision, they can see things that others can't. Not necessarily in the same way as a prophet, but similiar to that, none-the-less.

Those with the gift of leadership can get things done, the know how to delegate tasks effectively and how to communicate a vision in a way that inspires others to follow. For a leader without followers is simply a person on a walk by themselves. A leaders greatest satisfaction isn't how many people are following them, but how many goals are they able to accomplish together as a team.

Those with this gift must be cautious as well, for it has it's own pitfalls to be weary of. Dominant, demanding personalities often find themselves burdened with this gift, which in turn, can appear to be insensitive. Details may be annoying because you are focused on more of the big picture and you must learn to be alright with people questioning your decisions.

Scriptures about leadership - Live in Luke 16 and learn the "three rules" of leading...

The Gift of Mercy - Romans 12:8 ...he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Having the gift of mercy is a beautiful thing. Those who have this gift exhibit amazing amounts of grace and compassion on those who are hurting or have hurt. If you have the gift of mercy you greatly desire to see people get back on their feet and want to be part of the healing process, sometimes at any cost.

The strengths of the gift of mercy are many; usually those with this gift are able to show amazing patience and unconditional love, kindness and gentleness. If you have this gift you may feel yourself being drawn to the "down and out" and take great joy in seeing people overcome difficulties.

At the same time, the strengths of this gift can also be it's most difficult weaknesses to overcome. Because of the nature of this gift you may have trouble becoming overly emotional about situations and getting emotionally attached in ways that are not healthy. A person with this gift is also very easily put in a position in which you could be taken advantage of easily. You also need to realize that all people don't have this gift and overcome the temptation to judge those who may seem to be less sensitive than you.

Scriptures to consider about the gift of Mercy : Ephesians 2:4, Acts 9:36.

peace,
glo