We all love gifts. The very nature of a gift is that it is given from one person to another because of tradition, because it is expected, or just out of love and delight.
God loves and delights in giving gifts. In Ephesians 4, God gives the church gifts. Five are outlined: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. In I Corinthians 12, the Holy Spirit gives gifts, nine are mentioned: messages of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues.
Romans 12 also describes gifts, seven gifts are mentioned. They are given, according to the grace of God, to individuals for the good of the Body of Christ. The seven outlined are prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy. No gift is to be thought of as more important than the others. They all come from the same God. They all flow from grace. They are all to be used for the benefit of the Body of Christ and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
Sometimes … and I say this hesitantly … believers find that they have one, two or three gifts more prominent than the others. Yet may I be so bold as to say, we all to a greater or lesser degree have each of the seven.
I mentioned recently that I attended a prayer meeting as a new Christian, still very dumb in the ways of God. During that meeting, the minister stopped by me and told me God had given me the gift of encouragement. In the 53 years since, no matter what capacity I have served in the church or anywhere else, that gift has been the motivating force of my life.
