Digging Deeper: Every Family Member Has a Gift

Growing up, I always loved birthday parties. Sure, the cake and ice cream were great, but every kid knows the best part was watching the presents being opened. There was always that anticipation. What are they going to get? Will they love it? Should I ask my mom for that thing? There’s something exciting about receiving a gift because a good gift communicates that someone knows you, values you, and intentionally chose something with you in mind.

Sometimes my mind wanders, and I imagine what it must be like when someone places their faith in Jesus. I picture heaven celebrating, the angels rejoicing, and then God saying, “I’ve got something for you.” Not a new car or a winning lottery ticket, but something much better… a spiritual gift. The God who created the universe also takes the time to uniquely equip every one of His children. No one is forgotten. No one is overlooked. Every believer has been gifted for a purpose.

Yesterday we talked about how we belong before we serve. Our identity comes before our activity. We don’t earn our place in God’s family through serving. We serve because we’ve already been welcomed into the family. Once we understand that truth, the next question naturally becomes, “What role has God given me to play?”

Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 12 by comparing the church to a body. At first, it’s a funny picture. You’re an eye. Someone else is an ear. Someone else is a hand. Apparently, somebody gets to be the big toe. But the illustration makes perfect sense when you stop and think about your own body.

Have you ever stubbed your toe or had a sinus infection? Neither seems like a big deal, yet suddenly your whole body feels affected. Your mood changes, your energy drops, and everything becomes a little harder. Why? Because every part of your body matters, even the parts you rarely think about.

That’s Paul’s point. The church isn’t made up of identical people doing identical things. God intentionally designed His family with different gifts. Some people naturally encourage others. Some teach. Some lead. Others quietly serve behind the scenes, show mercy, or organize details. Every one of those gifts matters because every one of those people matters.

Paul writes, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose.” Don’t miss those last three words: as He chose. Your gift wasn’t random, and it certainly wasn’t a mistake. God intentionally gave it to you because He knows exactly what His church needs. Before you were ever aware of your strengths, He already knew how He wanted to use your life to build up His people.

One of the biggest obstacles to embracing our gifts is comparison. We watch someone preach, lead worship, or welcome people with ease and think, I wish I could do that. Before long, we begin believing that someone else’s gift is more important than our own.

Paul completely tears down that way of thinking. He imagines the foot saying, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong,” or the ear saying, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong.” That sounds ridiculous. A foot was never supposed to be a hand. An ear was never meant to be an eye. Yet we often do the same thing by wishing we had someone else’s gifts instead of faithfully using our own.

God isn’t asking you to be someone else. He’s asking you to faithfully steward what He’s already entrusted to you. The church doesn’t need another copy of someone else. It needs you to be faithful with the gifts He’s given you.

That’s especially true when we think about serving at NorthStar (or wherever you might call home). It’s easy to assume the most important roles are the ones everyone can see, but every Sunday is held together by people faithfully serving in ways that often go unnoticed. Someone helped park cars before the first family arrived. Someone made coffee. Someone welcomed guests at the door. Someone checked children into classrooms. Someone prepared slides or served behind a camera. Many of those people will never stand on a stage, but their faithfulness helps create an environment where people can encounter Jesus.

The church isn’t built by a few visible leaders. It’s built by an entire family using the gifts God has entrusted to them.

It’s also important to remember that spiritual gifts aren’t simply natural talents. God certainly uses our personalities and abilities, but spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the church. They were never meant to make us look impressive. They were given so others would be strengthened and Jesus would be glorified.

If you’re not sure what your spiritual gifts are yet, don’t panic. Most people don’t discover them by taking a quiz. They discover them by serving. As you begin saying yes to opportunities, you’ll start noticing patterns. Maybe people are consistently encouraged when you teach. Maybe children naturally connect with you. Maybe you come alive organizing details or making first-time guests feel at home. God often reveals our gifting as we faithfully step out in obedience.

Remember, this isn’t about finding the most important role. It’s about faithfully using whatever God has entrusted to you. Every member of God’s family has received a gift, and every gift matters because every member matters.