Gifts

It is amazing when I see people follow God's call for their lives. It is incredible that He gives us specific gifts that are intended to glorify Him. Our talents are not by accident- they are "divinely designed." What a blessing.

This morning at church, I was struck again by how intentional God is not only with His plans, but with the gifts He has given us. Brian and I have a wonderful Sunday School class. This morning, our normal teachers were out, so our good friend Rob taught the lesson. It is so clear his gift is teaching. He KNOWS the Bible and conveys the truths from the Bible with confidence, clarity, and depth that can only be found in God. His lesson was excellent- he talked about the importance in finding Christ throughout scripture, rather than making scripture fit us and our needs. He then tied that relationship in with how we are to view marriage and a Christ-like marriage. He made a lot of great points I had not considered and I was excited about what he shared. It was so good.

Fast forward about an hour. Brian's brother Kevin has recently joined our church's staff. He is also a very gifted speaker and has a great ability to draw people in. He begins seminary in the fall (actually maybe this week?) and I can't wait to see how God uses him and his talents and gifts to enhance His kingdom. This morning, Kevin led his first baptism in the church service. Maybe it is the psycho-emotional 9-month pregnant Ashley coming out, but as I watched him, I clung to Brian's hand and just cried. He is doing what God has gifted him with and what he has been called to do. He is intentional and is growing closer to the Lord through His obedience. It is such a cool thing to watch and to be part of.

Though these Godly men are such fabulous examples of God using His gifts to enhance His kingdom, I am thankful that He was just as intentional in choosing my gifts. I love that it might not be something as big as speaking or teaching, but that each gift comes directly from Him and can be used to glorify our creator. What a faithful God to serve.

The following was some Old Testament scripture that Rob mentioned in his lesson this morning- I am adding a bit more than he talked about because it is just so good! Enjoy!