But we know that through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, God has chosen to pour His resources to the church and the world through Christians like you and me. He has given us gifts through which He strengthens the church and speaks to people outside of the faith.
“But Moses said, ‘Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?’ The Lord answered Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Numbers 11:21-23.
In early days in the wilderness, God speaks of provision for the people, and the beleaguered Moses kind of lost it! He was overwhelmed with the needs of so many people and as he thought only about his ability and not God’s ability, the challenge was just too much (God went on to provide quail for the whole camp).
If you want to despair like Moses, just think about the needs of even one congregation like ours. We do not have the resources to meet the needs, sorrows, and losses of this group. But to think about the needs of a broken society at large is akin to standing in a sandstorm and trying to catch the sand! It’s too much!
But we know that through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, God has chosen to pour His resources to the church and the world through Christians like you and me. He has given us gifts through which He strengthens the church and speaks to people outside of the faith. Spiritual gifts given to every Christian are simply God doing His work through you and me! We are not just involved in busy tasks for religious work, but we are involved in Kingdom business – there is a divine aspect to our spiritual gifts when engaged. We know that the Spirit is working through us.
We recently had a devotional at church staff meeting where this great question was asked – and I invite you to ask it of yourself: “What is it about me that God uses?” A great question for reflection.
If you are unsure, start by studying spiritual gifts in I Corinthians chapter 12 where it says: “…to each on the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (vs 7). Dip your toe in the water – try a few things – ask the Spirit to lead. Engage in the business of the Kingdom!
Pastor Leon Throness
