WHY WE DON’T USE OUR GIFTS?

Last week we talked about the importance of us using the gifts that have been graciously given to us. We saw how one young man in the eighteenth century by the name William Wilberforce used his oratory gifts to bring an end to slave trade in Britain and thus changed the world.

One of the greatest things God has enabled me to do over the past several years as a Pastor and Coach is to help people discover and develop their gifting. In the recent past I have seen two ladies move into their gifting and are now almost ready to launch their maiden albums in music. I have seen others discover their gifting in the financial sector helping thousands invest their monies wisely. But there are still many who are sitting on their gifts and yet “whole of creation is waiting for the sons and daughters of God to be made manifest.”

Why is it that many are still sitting on their time bombs? There are several reasons why. First as I shared last week, we in the Leadership, especially Church Leadership have failed our people because we have not helped them discover their gifting. And for those who have discovered theirs we are neither helping them nor creating the right environment where these gifts can be deployed.

“He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.’  -Ephesians 4:11-13 (Msg Bible)

Secondly, in comparing ourselves with each other we have despised our gifting or thought that it was so good to serve at a particular place even when God was calling us to a greater ministry using our gifts and talents. We thus end up trying to be something we are not because we have not learnt to look deep down inside ourselves and appreciate what we have got. We instead end up burying it in the ground and not doing business with it.

Far too often we have created a few superstars in the pulpit and made people think that that is how it should be. So the only way we think we can serve God is if we are in the fivefold ministry or some of the very visible ministries in Church. Had William Wilberforce opted to become a preacher rather than a human rights activist, for that is really what he was, could he have made that much impact in the world’s history? If the church that produced the movie “Fireproof” and now “Courageous” hadn’t recognized the gift of film production among its membership, could we have had such great movies?

Thirdly like the servant who buried his gift, we fear to do business with what we have. We are gripped with one of the greatest fears, fear of failure. We fear that we might fail not realizing that failure is very much a part of success. William Wilberforce failed to convince the British parliament for several years before he finally got their approval to banish slave trade. He didn’t let his failure stop him. 

What is it that God has given you? Get out there and try it out. In fact it is as you go that you will come to realize what it is that you’ve got. And that is what it will take to change the world and your world.