“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one
another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who
speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that
God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus
Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter
4:10-11 ESV
Everybody likes to receive gifts,
especially the ones that we want, so we wait for Christmas and birthdays. We may
even ask our parents to buy us specific gifts so that we feel honored and special
around those times. Korean little children have one more special day per year,
which is on May 5th. This is like father’s day or mother’s day. I
think when I was a little child, I used to tell my parents to take me somewhere
or to buy certain gifts on May 5th. When I was even older until
sometime in high school, I used to keep asking my parents to buy certain gifts
for me at my birthdays and Christmas time, or sometimes before those times.
God, who is the Creator (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1) and our heavenly Father (Ephesians 4:6) cannot wait to give gifts to
us as well, even though they are different kind of gifts. They are spiritual
ones—abilities and talents that we can really use to serve Him through others and
build the kingdom of heaven up with (Romans 12:6-8). However, we are only be
able to receive them when we become Christian (John 14:12) because we become the children
of God as soon as we become Christian and true followers of Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13). It might take a while to
fully realize what they actually are. It took me about two years to realize what
my spiritual gift really is. Therefore, we should not give up on God, even
though we may already found what spiritual gifts we really have, to build the
kingdom of heaven up with. This is because we might be able to find our future
dreams with spiritual gifts that we have. I found what I really want to do in
future with my spiritually gift. I want to be a Christian writer because I
believe that this is the will of God for me, even though it is going to be hard
(Matthew 7:13-14). Furthermore, when we find
our spiritual gifts that God has given us, we feel special and worthy to live
our lives until the end of the age (Psalm 139:13-14). “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves
Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.” (Romans 14:17-18)
Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly
realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before
the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he
predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with
his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given
us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he
lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring
unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were
also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out
everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who
were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until
the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
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