10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
We are each responsible for putting into use the gifts God has given us. We each have a unique set of gifts, tailored to fit our personality and makeup, and specifically designed to meet a particular set of needs. It is as if we were a computer program. Each line of code works with all the others to produce a particular result. And each line of code needs to be there for the whole to work as designed. Our lives get built over time with millions of individual events. As we respond to those events our character is built line after line. Our gifts were either developed or stifled, we either gave room for them to grow or we buried them with rebellion. Those events and our responses make us who we are today. And God has a purpose for those gifts. Those gifts are the conduit through which His grace flows. God might be spending our lifetimes getting us ready for a particular purpose, a divine appointment, a unique crossing of lives, and we must be prepared a certain way in order to meet the need at that moment. The events of our lives and our responses are uniquely wiring us to meet that need out there in the future. Our responses get us ready to be used by God. When we respond correctly the conduit for God’s grace gets cleared out, making it easier for that grace to flow. When we are using our gifts in small ways day after day, we are preparing for the future. The gifts God gives are outward focused. They are given so that we may serve others. The gifts are not given so that we can put them on the shelf and admire them. The gifts are to be used to meet the needs of others. That’s right, others! How are you going to serve others today?
The Arnold Journey 