Your Gift and Purpose in Life

I came across this quote the other day on a church web page.

‘The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.”

The quote was attributed to William Shakespeare. However, that doesn’t sound exactly like the type of thing he would writeth or sayeth. Yet, regardless of its source, the quote offers some wonderful life advice. Plus, it has a Biblical basis.

In Romans 12:3 Paul exhorts, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.” Note four things about gifts in this text.

1. We all have gifts.
2. Our gifts are all different.
3. Our gifts are by God’s grace.
4. We’re commanded to use them.

Our gifts, often referred to as talents or abilities, provide an opportunity for ministry, both to Christians and non-Christians alike. In this text Paul argues that every member of the Body of Christ is a minister. We often think of the preacher as “the minister,” but actually he is just “a minister.” Every member, based on their giftedness, needs to find their place in ministry.

Paul further reminds us that every ministry is important. We should not “think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.” Just like in the physical body our members have a different function, but each one is necessary to the proper functioning of the body. So it is in the Body of Christ. All of the members need each other, because all provide different gifts for it to be successful and achieve God’s purpose.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting in this text that Paul mentions both miraculous spiritual gifts like prophecy, but also non-miraculous gifts like mercy. Even in the first century church, they were not to regard their miraculous gifts as more important than natural abilities and talents of other members.

You are specially shaped for serving God. You are here to make a positive contribution. To serve God. And serve your fellow man. The Bible says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10, NLT).

What can you do? How can you serve? What are your natural abilities? Your passion? Your special skills? When you discover your gift, God calls you to give it away. To share. To serve. To minister.

The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) reminds us that we don’t have to be a 5-talent, or even a 2-talent person to contribute and make a difference. Even if you regard yourself as a less talented person there is a place for you. The one talent man in Jesus’ story was condemned because he failed to do what he could do.

There’s a hymn with the lyrics which reminds us that little things can make a big difference.

There is room in the kingdom of God, my brother,
For the small things that you can do;
Just a small, kindly deed that may cheer another
Is the work God has planned for you.

Just a cup of cold water in His name given
May the hope in some heart renew;
Do not wait to be told, nor by sorrow driven
To the work God has planned for you.

DaVinci painted one Mona Lisa. Beethoven created one Fifth Symphony. Michelangelo sculpted one David. And God made only one you!

You are unique. Special. One of a kind. Can you be anything you want to be? Maybe not. But you can be everything God created you to be in Christ Jesus.

Like King David of old let’s make it our life’s motto to serve God’s purpose in our own generation (Ax. 13:36).

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman