Breathing for Heaven’s Sake; Use Your Gift
Martha Olawale
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)
No one is born empty; regardless of the limitations we believe hinder us. In all of God’s creation is the reproductive power of change and good. Our abilities are not restricted to the limitations of the naked eye; there is an indwelling of the abundance of God’s grace to achieve seemingly impossible feats. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” The power ‘at work inside,’ not the appealing features on the outside.
You, just like the person whose gift you admire the most in the world, are endowed with a bundle of creativity to impact the world for good. Your gift is a gift, not to keep but to serve with, and in that would be your greatest source of fulfilment. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Use it to serve one another.” To understand the uniqueness of your God-given gift, you must look at it from God’s perspective because it’s not like what you receive from a person that sometimes has strings attached and ends up before a judge.
Despite our mortal errors, if you go to a human court and can prove that the lawnmower that your neighbor wants back from you is a gift, you will win the case. How much more the just God, who 1 Timothy 6:17 says “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” The gift of God is free and good, and it comes with the full backing of Heaven.
As you step into calling and use your gift, you are guaranteed Heaven’s support, and the opposition is put on notice. Zechariah 2:8 says, “For thus said the Lord of hosts, after His glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for He who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” God is direct enough for any opposition to know to stay far away from you, but most of the time, we are our own opposition when we refuse to believe in our shared creative nature with our Father.
Whatever God wants you to accomplish, if you are willing and obedient to stir up the gift inside you (1 Timothy 1:6), He will use you to accomplish incredible deeds. Don’t talk yourself out of honoring the gentle tap on your heart to do something about that thing that bothers you. You are here to make a difference, change the world for good, and live each day breathing for Heaven’s sake.
Every discouragement you’ve encountered is no match for the brightness of God’s glory. You are God’s prized possession, His jewel of inestimable value, the apple of His eye. No matter who you are, where you are, what you have, or don’t have, there’s so much more to your potential than any man can imagine. Live each day breathing for Heaven’s sake, using your gift.
