God’s Good Gifts—and How to Use Them Well

God’s Good Gifts and His Loving Grace

Everyone loves gifts, especially gifts that are given to us not out of obligation but because the giver loves us. As a Christian, everything we are and everything we have has been given to us by our Father. Paul explains the importance of God's many gifts. The gifts God gives us change us. We will never be the same once we've received them.

We often take for granted the good gifts God has given us, but Scripture makes it clear that we are responsible for how we use them. Knowing God’s good gifts and how to use them well is essential to a faithful life.

The greatest gift God has given us is the gift of salvation through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Gifts are not earned. Nothing we could ever do would make us worthy of such a gift. A giver does not force a person to take their gift. They can offer it and we choose whether to accept it or not. Today is the day to accept the gift of salvation and in turn share it with others.

As Billy Graham once said,

"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with."

The Gifts That Transform Us

Even our faith is a gift. The ability to believe and accept that we are sinful and in need of saving comes from God. The ability to desire a restored relationship with our Creator comes from Him.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Without hearing the Word there is no faith. How do we hear it? We can hear it in a sermon, by reading the Bible, by a friend sharing Scripture with us, through songs, and many other ways. No matter how eloquent the pastor or sincere the friend, what matters is the Word of God itself.

Our need to repent comes from God. Repentance is a gift of grace (Acts 11:18). Grace is the undeserved favor of God. When we repent we turn from our sin and turn towards a life in Christ lived for Him.

Righteousness is a gift. Righteousness is being in right standing with God. It is living according to the expectations of God for our life. God is perfectly righteous and He is our standard. Romans 3:22 explains that righteousness is given to us through our faith in Jesus. Philippians 3:9 agrees and tells us that this comes from God.

Spiritual Gifts and Strength from the Spirit

Do you have spiritual gifts? If you do, you didn't gain them on your own. You were given them by God. Paul lists them in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11: words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, spiritual discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These gifts are distributed to "each one individually" as the Spirit wills. All believers possess faith in some measure.

To understand how these diverse gifts work together, imagine the church as a symphony orchestra. Each believer is an instrument gifted by God, with unique sounds (spiritual gifts). The conductor (Holy Spirit) brings harmony by guiding when each instrument plays. Without listening to the conductor, the music sounds chaotic. When all instruments play their part under the conductor, the music glorifies God beautifully.

Romans 12:6-8 describes still other gifts: prophesying, serving others, teaching, exhorting (which means to encourage), generously giving, leadership, and acts of mercy. This is not to say that we are only given one gift, but that some of us will be given more of a particular gift than others or perhaps we will be blessed with several gifts.

All of us have been given the gift of strength. This gift comes from Christ Himself (Philippians 4:13). We learn in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that Jesus said, "My strength is made perfect in weakness." If we’re naturally strong in worldly matters, we may try to carry that into our spiritual lives, but human strength cannot replace reliance on Christ. When we learn to rely on Christ for our strength, that is when we are truly strong.

God’s Good Gifts—and How to Use Them Well

In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul tells Timothy to "stir up the gift that is within you." Some translations say to "fan the gift into flame." The word in Greek for "stir up" was used to kindle a fire like by using a bellows. If you ever camped out and had a fire, you know that stirring the embers of a fire will rekindle it or fan it into flames.

As a Christian, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bestows on us other spiritual gifts. These gifts are given to us, not so we can feel important, but to bring glory to God. But we have a responsibility to use the gifts! Colossians 3:12-15 says we are to be compassionate, kind, forgiving, humble, meek, patient, and above all loving toward one another. In this way, we will be better able to effectively use the gifts we have been given.

Fanning the flames of our gifts keeps us from growing cold, indifferent, or lukewarm toward the things of God. We obediently listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit. He will show us, if we let Him, the gifts we have and the best ways to use them. 1 Timothy 4:14 says not to neglect our gifts. And in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 we are told not to quench the Spirit.

How do you quench the Spirit? The word quench means to extinguish or suppress something, especially like a fire. When we ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit to do something or when we are dismissive to the supernatural workings of God, we are suppressing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Live with Passion, Power, and a Sound Mind

If we are on fire for something, we are passionate and full of zeal to do it. This is how God wants us to live with the gifts He has blessed us with. When we don't follow the will of God for our lives, when we don't obey His commands, when we don't grow in holiness, we are quenching the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) can only be produced when we fan the flames of the Spirit of God within us.

Paul has important advice to give us in 2 Timothy 1:7,

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Wow! What a powerful lesson in so few words. As Christians, we don't have a "spirit of fear". What does the word "spirit" mean here? In Greek it is pneuma, which means inner disposition or temperament. Do you find yourself feeling fearful a lot? Do you see the headlines of this world and dread what's coming? Or do you feel at peace knowing that God has given you a different temperament?

Our spirit should be one of power. As Philippians 2:13 says, it is God who works in us! Doesn't that fill you with hope? Doesn't that give you a reason to go boldly forward in the power of the Holy Spirit? It is His Holy Spirit who empowers us to:

• proclaim the gospel boldly (Acts 4:29)

• face challenges with courage (1 Corinthians 16:13)

• fulfill our calling in Christ (Colossians 4:17)

Our spirit should be one of love. The Greek word here is ἀγάπη (agapē), which is a selfless, unconditional love. Our love should be to God first and to others, even our enemies. What we do should be done with humility, not selfish ambition or conceit (Philippians 2:3). Our lives are always to reflect Christ by imitating Him (1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1-2), and God is love (1 John 4:8).

Our spirit should be one of a sound mind. The Greek word for sound here is sophronismos. It means to be disciplined and in control of your thoughts. It implies being rational and able to use good judgment. Someone who doesn't have a sound mind is unstable and irrational. Their mind isn't balanced.

Is your mind sound? As a Christian, if you are under the control of the Holy Spirit then it should be. God gives us wisdom and understanding, not fear. A sound mind will be focused on prayer, hope in Christ, and God and His Kingdom, not the cares and troubles of this world. Our minds and our hearts will be guarded by Christ (Philippians 4:6-8).

Reject the World—Walk in Your Gifts

In this world, many are tempted to dull their minds with alcohol, drugs, or other mind-altering substances. Jesus wants us to be able to be clear-headed and have self-control at all times. Substances that remove our inhibitions are not of God. When we are under their influence, we may do or say things that are not His will.

Many people want to "numb the pain" of this life with these things. What they really need is the Holy Spirit to change them and give them power, love, and a sound mind. They need to have the spirit of fear removed. They need to be filled with love.

James 1:17 summarizes God's gifts beautifully,

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

What James means is that God's character does not change. He is faithful, even when we aren't. He is always loving, even when we don't. The good gifts that He blesses us with are there for us to use for others in good times and bad.

You may think you have no gifts, but if you belong to Him I assure you, you do. Spend time "fanning into flames" your gifts, and don't be surprised if God uses you in a mighty and powerful way to do the good you were made to do.