Your Gifts
“so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach” – Romans 12:5-7
In 1880, there was a painter in America named Emmanuel Ninger. One day, Ninger went to a wholesale store to buy all the basic necessities for his family. Ninger brought lunch from home and $20.
All the items were already in Ninger’s shopping basket, and then he approached the cashier to pay. The cashier accepted the $20 and gave change to Ninger.
What happened next was that the cashier’s hands became sweaty. Then he noticed streaks and lines on his hands when he held the $20 given by Ninger.
He reported it to his manager, and the manager called a police officer who identified that the $20 bill was undoubtedly counterfeit. The police immediately went to Ninger’s house and arrested the counterfeiter.
What’s astonishing is that during the police investigation, they found that Ninger had forged the $20 bill by painting it with his own hands! The result was extraordinary, exactly the same!
Had it not been for the “bleeding” paint, he might never have been caught.
Interestingly, while searching his property, the police discovered three paintings in Ninger’s workshop that, if sold, would have been worth no less than $5000!
Ninger needed only to invest the same amount of time and gift to paint his counterfeit $20 bills as to create paintings worth $5000 or more. Unfortunately, he was unable to see or tap into the value of his God given potential.
The Lord has given you gifts to build up others in Jesus Christ.
Thank the Lord for the spiritual gifts you have received and seek to use them for His glory.
“God has said that every Christian has at least one spiritual gift for the benefit of the whole body of Christ. No one has all the gifts, all have at least one gift, and some have two or more. We are dependent on each other.” – Francis M. Cosgrove, Jr.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7