Overview Of The Spiritual Gifts

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
–Romans 12:6-8

The Bible says you have one of the seven spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8. We are to do all of the gifts, but we have one gift that is our unique motivation and power to spread the gospel.

The first gift is prophecy. This gift is the ability to present God’s Word in order to convict people of sin and their need for a right relationship with God. The person with this gift wants to speak forth God’s Word in such a way that it either convicts unbelievers of their need to turn to Christ or convicts Christians to turn from sin and back into a right relationship with God.

The second gift is serving. The gift of serving is meeting the practical needs of other people. The person with this gift has the ability to see the likes and dislikes of other people. Someone with the gift of serving also has the physical energy and willingness to fulfill others’ needs.

The third gift is the gift of teaching. This gift is the ability to present and clarify biblical truth. There is a difference between having a ministry of teaching and having the gift of teaching. The person with the gift of teaching loves research and is interested in biblical information.

The fourth gift is exhortation. The word “exhortation” means to come alongside somebody. This is the spiritual desire to help people solve problems by applying God’s Word to their lives. A person with this gift uses the Bible to help people know how to solve problems.

The fifth gift is the gift of giving. This is the motivation to use personal assets to further God’s kingdom. This person has the ability to manage money well. They have a desire to give to effective ministries, and they enjoy motivating other people to give as well.

The sixth gift is leadership. This gift is the motivation to coordinate the activities of others to achieve a common goal. A person with this gift has the ability to see the big picture and the desire to do what is necessary to complete the task as quickly as possible.

The final gift is the gift of mercy. This gift is the ability to identify with and comfort those who are in distress. This is the person who will gravitate toward people who are hurting emotionally so they can bring comfort to them.

All seven of these spiritual gifts are important to the body of Christ. Which one do you have?

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Using Your Spiritual Gift” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2014.

Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.