“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
There’s an old saying that has always intrigued me: “The person who does what he loves for a living will never work another day in his life.” Of course, that’s not literally true. Every calling has difficult days, and every worthwhile pursuit requires sacrifice. But there is a profound truth hidden in those words. When you discover what God has uniquely designed you to do, even hard work can carry joy. You come alive because you are doing something He created and equipped you to do.
I believe that’s one of the great secrets to discovering our spiritual gifting. Too many Christians spend years wondering, What is my spiritual gift? They read books, take inventories, and analyze themselves, hoping for some dramatic revelation. But God often reveals our gifting, not while we’re sitting still trying to figure ourselves out, but while we’re faithfully responding to the opportunities He places before us.
Think about some of the people God used in the Bible. Joseph simply served faithfully in Potiphar’s house. David tended sheep and later delivered food to his brothers. Gideon was threshing wheat in hiding. Moses was tending sheep. Peter was fishing. Matthew was collecting taxes. None of them fully understood what God was preparing them for. They simply responded to what was in front of them, and along the way, God began uncovering the treasure He had placed within them. Little did they know that they were being prepared for things God would later have them do for His plans and purposes!
The same can be true for us. Many opportunities God brings our way can feel intimidating. They stretch us beyond our comfort zone and tempt us to say, “Someone else could do this better.” But those opportunities often become God’s classroom. Sometimes we step into something and discover, I love this! I come alive doing this! I could do this for the rest of my life! Other times we discover, This isn’t how God wired me. Both discoveries are valuable. One can reveal where God wants us to invest ourselves, while the other frees us to let someone else serve where they are better equipped. (I could never drive a Taxi!)
God has placed unique desires, abilities, burdens, and passions within each of us. As we delight ourselves in Him, He shapes our hearts and gives us desires that can become clues to how He intends to bless others through our lives. Looking back over my own life, I can see that pattern clearly. I loved coaching people through life. I loved helping people connect through small groups. I loved preaching and teaching God’s Word, discipling men and coaching them to be the best they could be, praying with hurting people, visiting hospitals, officiating weddings and funerals, and creating ministries that filled unmet needs in the church. And of course I loved writing devotionals to help people grow in God! Even when ministry became exhausting, there was a deep satisfaction in knowing I was doing what God had shaped me to do.
Now, in retirement, that same kind of joy has found another expression. I love gardening. I enjoy helping neighbors with their lawns and flowerbeds, solving problems, and creating beauty where there was neglect. It rarely feels like work because I genuinely love doing it. I’ve come to believe that many of those God-given desires are not accidents. They are His fingerprints.
Many people die with money in the bank they never spent. I sometimes wonder if Christians can do the same thing spiritually. God deposits gifts, passions, abilities, burdens, and opportunities into our lives, yet some may remain undiscovered because we were afraid to step through the doors He opened before us. What a tragedy it would be to reach the end of our lives with God-given gifting gone untapped!
Don’t spend your life wishing you had someone else’s gift. Walk closely with God. Say yes to the opportunities He brings your way. Pay attention to what fills your heart with joy as you serve. You may discover that's the place where God’s calling, your abilities, your passions, and the needs of others intersects and is exactly where He intended you to spend your life. And when you find that place, you’ll understand that old saying. The work may still be hard. There will still be sacrifice, challenges, and days when you’re tired. But there can also be tremendous joy because you know, "This is what God shaped me to do." And it will bring an abundance of joy!
Ephesians 2:10 NLT “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
Prayer: Father, thank You for creating each of us uniquely. Help me recognize the desires You have placed within my heart and give me the courage to step through the opportunities You bring my way. Reveal the gifts You have deposited within me so that I might serve Your Church and bless the world around me. May my life become a joyful expression of Your grace, and may I never leave unused the treasure You have entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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