My recovery has been going very well.  I have not had to take any medication in the last 5 days other than the occasional Extra Strength Tylenol.  The nerve pain in my right leg and foot is practically gone – thank you Lord!  My routine is slowly beginning to more closely resemble the one I observed before my back surgery.  This weekend I was able to go to church.  As David said in Psalm 122:1

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1

 I had been the week before but only to attend the worship service and sit amongst the congregation.  That was nice and a pleasant experience; as a minister it is always good to be ministered to from time to time.  But this Sunday was particularly special for me because I had received clearance from the doctor to fill the pulpit, as long as I promised to take it easy and have a chair nearby for resting.  My wife added the additional restrictions of no jumping, bouncing, moon walking or any other movements in order to emphasize some point in the sermon.  I am happy to say that I was indeed able to stand during the entire 28 (?) minutes and do some walking around and without the need to rest until after we arrived back home.  If you would like a manuscript copy of the sermon “The Passing of the Torch” describing Samuel’s speech to the people in 1 Samuel chapter 12 as Saul is crowned king of Israel, shoot me an email.

The morning was a good morning and I was indeed glad to be in the House of the Lord.  I was also glad that I was able to share with God’s people as that is what the Lord has called me and gifted me to do; that’s my job.  Did you know God has a job for all of His Children?  The bible says in 1 Peter 4:10

1 Peter 4:10  As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Peter says “EACH ONE has received a special gift” and that includes you!  Yes, it’s true; God has special work in mind for every single child of His and He equips every child for that work.  Peter was not the only one to speak about spiritual gifts.   In his letter to the church at Corinth Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that there are a variety of gifts and they are given to ALL OF US for the common good.  They are given to us by God and they manifest His Holy Spirit which is at work within us.  God blesses each of us with these spiritual gifts so that we can do the jobs that He has called us to do.  Sometimes people ask me, “How do I discover my spiritual gift?”  You discover your spiritual gift by:

1.   Praying.  Ask God to help you discover your gift.  Ask Him to reveal to you how He wants you to be involved in His Kingdom work.  God will lead you and guide you.  It may take some time but the bible promises in the book of James 1:5 that “if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  God will not keep your gift a secret from you.  He may allow you to grow and mature before He places you into a position of service and authority, but He will not keep your gift a secret from you.  Because personal growth is involved, we need to:
2. Study His Word.  As you read the bible and learn about the nature and character of God, you will learn about yourself.  As you learn the Word, you will better learn to hear God’s voice and He can more easily lead you and guide you in your life.
3. Listen to your heart.  God will give you a passion for certain areas of service.  God will speak to your spirit and He will place certain callings on your life.  He will draw certain things out of you.
4. Listen to Others.  Listen to your pastor, to your Sunday school teacher and others that God places in your path.  God will use other people to lead you and guide you as well.  Other people will recognize the gifts that God has given you.  I remember it was almost 20 years ago that I had rededicated my life to the Lord and finally began to faithfully attend church.    We had been attending regularly for several months and I was so happy that I was singing loud – loud enough that people noticed.  I even hit a few notes every now and then.  After one service, I was approached by somebody who said they needed someone to fill in for them the next Sunday.  In the choir I asked?  No, they practically shouted – which I thought was rather inappropriate.  “Not in the choir!  Heavens no!”  They needed somebody to help teach Sunday School…. and they thought that I would be good at it.  I had never thought about it before.  It never crossed my mind.  But I listened to someone else, someone who saw something in me.  I tried it and I was blessed beyond measure.  And God in His grace continued to grow and nurture that gift and a passion for it within me.  Which brings me to my last suggestion on discovering your spiritual gifts:
5. Try some things!  Look around in your church, your community, your family and see what needs to be done.  Try some things, pray, listen to God, listen to others, and you may be surprised how God will use you.   

  Don’t ever think that God can’t use you.  History is full of people whom God used in a great way, people whom others rejected or looked down upon because of their past or because of their lack of qualifications.  The Apostle Simon Peter wanted us to know that God can use all of us.  Simon Peter was an uneducated fisherman.  He was rude, crude and socially unacceptable.  But Christ took him, taught him, and trained him.  Christ worked through Simon Peter and on the day of Pentecost, Simon Peter preached and through the power of the Holy Spirit led 3,000 people into the kingdom.

Just jump in and get busy, we have work to do!  The harvest is plentiful and there is work to be done in God’s Kingdom!

1 Peter 4:10  As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

When all of God’s children begin to use their gifts and put them to work in His Kingdom, many of the problems of this nation will be solved.  People will be delivered from their sin, people will be delivered from substance abuse, relationships will be mended, bodies will be healed and Christ will be glorified.

If you don’t know what your gift is ask the Lord.  If you already know, employ it in serving one another.  You will be blessed beyond measure!  Don’t worry about the results or the responses of others.  God will take care of that, God has your back.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com