The author and his gift

I used to think that God’s gifts were placed on the upper shelf of the cabinet of character. The taller our stature grows, the easier it is to reach them. Now I realize that God’s gifts are at the bottom of the cabinet. The question is not whether you have grown taller, but whether you are willing to bend down and lower your head to receive the best gift from God.
─FB Meyer

Talent? Gift?

More than thirty years ago, I applied to be baptized in a small church and learned about a rule: I had to give a testimony before being baptized, but I could choose to speak on stage or write an article for publication in the church publication. I happily choose the latter.

The day the article was published, an elder immediately came to pat me on the shoulder and said: You are very talented in writing!

When I first heard the word "gift" as a teenager, I was confused.

I have been praised in my writing since childhood, but the adjective is usually "talent". At that time, I thought, anyway, people in the church talk about laws as laws and communication as fellowship, so it’s not unusual to talk about talents as gifts, right? !

From then on, if I see someone with special talents or performance in some area, as long as he is a Christian, I will tell him: You have this or that gift.

So the surroundings were filled with people with gifts: the gift of speaking, the gift of teaching, the gift of cooking, the gift of dancing... In the youth group at that time, we secretly teased an elder for having the gift of "long-breathing" because His prayers were always very long, almost praying from Genesis to Revelation. If you accidentally ask him to thank you for the meal during the winter love banquet, after praying, a layer of white oil will already be floating on the dishes.

As I gradually became more sensible about the truth, I realized that gifts are different from talents or talents. Systematic theologian Wayne Grudem briefly explains: “Spiritual gifts are certain abilities given to us by the Holy Spirit so that we can use them in the service of the church.”

The theologian Packer also discussed in his book "Living in the Holy Spirit":"Gifts (charismata) are certain abilities given by God, especially through words, actions, and attitudes, to communicate the truth about Jesus Christ, to encourage one another, and to serve one another."

He added:"Pre-existing natural talents are sanctified so that they can become gifts."

An author may have demonstrated talent in writing before he believed in the Lord, and may have even published books and won awards. However, such talent in writing did not automatically change its name to a "gift" just because he was baptized. Unless he is given the power by God to sanctify that talent and begin to bless the church through words and be used by God.

Charles Spurgeon, the famous British Baptist pastor in the 19th century, once said:“Whatever spiritual gifts we have, they are not something for us to use as we please; God entrusts us with them for the sole purpose of helping other Christians.”

Used spiritual gifts

The author is a wonderful identity, except for a few people who are astonishing at a young age, publish a sensational book, and directly get the title of "writer". Most people will continue to be in this identity, like a person learning to swim, ups and downs; certain and uncertain.

If you are sure of yourself, you dare not be sure in front of others; if you are affirmed by others, you are still not sure. I long to be positioned in this identity, but I am also afraid that it will be a coat that is too heavy to wear, or that it will not fit my figure. Therefore, some people always want to ask: Do I have the gift of writing?

Regarding spiritual gifts, the Bible has various perspectives in different passages. Don and Katie Fortune, who have studied this topic for many years and helped many Christians understand and find their own ministry direction, divided the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible into three major types: The Manifestation Gifts); ministry gifts/equipment gifts (The Ministry Gifts); leading gifts (The Motivational Gifts).

According to Tangen Fu and Katie Fu, manifestation gifts appear in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 and are the supernatural power displayed by the Holy Spirit through believers to accomplish what God wants to do. For example, it can heal people or provide direction.

Service gifts (refer to Ephesians 4:11-12) are equipment assigned by God to believers for certain services in order to complete certain tasks. Neither type of gift is something we “own” and can leave us at any time.

Only the third type of dominant gift is personal. Such gifts are given at creation, and when we believe in the Lord, the Holy Spirit makes them a power to bless others and bring glory to God. Everyone who believes in the Lord has a major dominant gift and some minor dominant gifts. Together, they are the dominant force that drives our service life and will also have an impact on our lives, the lives of others, and the entire body of Christ. Influence.

According to Paul’s mention in Romans 12:6-8, there are seven leading gifts: discernment (prophecy), comfort, service, teaching, consecration, stewardship, and compassion. For those who are determined to devote themselves to literary ministry and seek a life-long calling, the first element that receives attention is the element of gift. The gift of writing is not on Paul’s list, what should I do?

In fact, Paul never said that the gifts are limited to those he marked in the Bible. Some scholars believe that these seven dominant gifts actually provide types, and many gifts are applications developed from these gifts.

Just like a person with the gift of cooking, he is usually a person with the gift of serving; cooking becomes a way to develop the gift of serving. And a person with the gift of counseling may be a person with the gift of comfort.

A person who has the gift of preaching may also have the gift of teaching, so the sermons he speaks are clear and well-organized, rich in knowledge, and based on scriptures. But he may also have the gift of consolation, so the congregation often not only hears the explanation of the truth from his words, but also understands how to apply it to themselves.

In this way, writing is a gift and a way to develop the author's dominant gift. Some people preach information received from God to the world through writing. The articles written by such authors are often very inspiring and can bring people to awakening and even conversion. But some people use pens to comfort readers, and use words to help readers get answers and growth methods in a certain aspect of life.

Some people gain food for their lives through the ministry of promoting reading, while others teach through the written word, or become a manager to assist in the development of the written ministry.

Some authors' articles are full of compassion and love, and can especially touch some painful souls. They may be people with the gift of mercy, and their words become their hands that comfort and embrace injured lives.

▲Words full of compassion can comfort and embrace injured lives, and it is also the author's use of writing to show his/her gift of mercy.

the gift of writing

Although writing has been my favorite since childhood, I don’t write just for love, or because I have some writing talent, so I keep writing.

More seriously, even when I was young, I used to write well because I loved writing, so I kept holding on to the pen. When I reached an age, I realized that in addition to making love, there are more responsibilities to bear in life, and there are roles entrusted by God. You have to perform, but you spend so much time and energy on yourself. I began to explore what the voices inside calling me to pick up this pen were talking about.

The desire to create has always been there, and I also like to break through different frameworks and try new themes and writing modes, but there are also some motivations that drive me to create. Originally, I thought it might be related to the call God gave me, or to my own life experience. Until many years ago, when I taught "spiritual gifts" in the church's adult Sunday school for a year, studying and preparing, and helping students understand the relationship between their gifts and their ministry, I also thought about my own dominance before God. Gifts and auxiliary gifts, I see that these gifts are closely intertwined with my writing and affect my writing path.

It has always been my heart's desire to see life be enriched and experience growth in the practice of truth. I have been in the church since I was a teenager, and have tried various services, and have also served in organizations within the Lord. Whether it is being a teacher, doing programs, leading small groups, accompanying, listening and counseling, or other service roles, the one I am most concerned about is , is also the one that requires the most effort, and is all related to the growth of life.

When it comes to theology, I always think about how to translate it into civilian language so that people can understand it, and how it can be of practical benefit to my own life.

Thinking about truth, I would focus on what these experiences are like for a new mother who is in diapers and bottles all day long, a grandfather who is at home with his grandson, and a cynical high school student in the midst of the raging hormones of adolescence.

When I encounter a problem, I don’t just want to see the person in front of me get the answer, but I also hope that he will meet God in the process of struggle and the height of his life will be improved.

When it comes to bringing people to Christ, I cannot be satisfied just seeing one person “finally get baptized.” Gaining life is just the starting point for me, gaining more abundantly is called starting the journey.

When accompanying a person through illness, marriage changes, and unemployment, what I want to ask is what kind of growth did these experiences bring to his life? Apart from a few more seals of grace on his body, has there been any change in his stature?

Some people have believed in the Lord for several years and are still stuck in the same place. I don’t want to blame them. I just hope that I can explore the reasons that hinder their growth. I hope that I can provide practical direction and support for my efforts, and also give some reminders to those around me to avoid entering the ice and snow season of life. .

The garden of God that I see is full of exotic flowers and plants, competing with each other to shout out His glory. I believe that as long as you bury life like seeds in it, water it and fertilize it on time, it will surely grow brilliantly all over the place.

A small seed is spread out feebly on the palm of my hand, and my heart has already seen a tree of red flowers.

▲God’s garden is full of exotic flowers and plants. As long as you bury the seeds of life and water and fertilize them on time, they will surely grow brilliantly everywhere.

God has stitched the gift of comfort into my years, making me always curious and confident about the growth of life. I want to explore, and I even want to find out the names of cities that I will pass through on the growth map.

Serving in the church for many years has given me the opportunity to accompany people on their journey of growth. Although this is a project that requires a huge investment of time and money, all I can see now are the ups and downs of the four seasons, but as long as I see a green bud, a new branch , what excites me is not the "results", but the signs of life.

I discovered that the written word had long been the path to the development of this dominant gift. I write so that my life can be opened up and repaired by readers I have never met, and I can be accompanied and waited for during the long period of hibernation. I hope that my words have eyes, staring brightly at readers, so that when they read the article, they feel that their lives are being pulled by God's big hands and they will grow.

▲Tao Shu said: "All human talent is but an echo of the original voice, a reflection of the uncreated true light."

Live out the gift of calling

It is often said that God is creative, and the moves He makes are truly unpredictable and undeniable.

I have never been a good student in the school education system since I was a child, so I have never wanted to be a teacher, nor do I like being a teacher, nor do I think I have any gift of teaching. Self-study is my mode, and asking for advice is my way. But sitting there attending lectures seriously, studying, doing homework, and taking exams at the same pace as everyone else, I felt extremely painful.

But I was called "teacher" before I even agreed. For many years, I stood on the podium and wanted to tell the students: If you don't want to hear it, don't be polite and go out at any time. However, in the process of helping people grow in life, I found that asking people to "figure it out for themselves" sounds cool and cruel. How to do it?

Will you teach me? ! The other party requested earnestly.

So I went from teaching one person, to teaching a class, to teaching a group. Even if I hide under the table, I can't hide from my role as a teacher. However, I have experienced that by sorting out a large amount of reading materials, praying and thinking, and distilling specific steps and guidance, it can inspire people to be motivated towards growth.

In terms of writing, although I still don’t like to use words to teach people, the teaching experience has helped me prepare the content of articles more rigorously and express my thoughts in an organized manner. Therefore, literature provides dialogue that explores the soul, and knowledge provides the possibility of broadening thoughts. Different gifts are linked together like train cars. Although the front is always obedience to God, His supply of gifts to each person is extremely rich and unique.

Taoshu said: "All human talent is but an echo of the original voice, a reflection of the uncreated true light."

Any gift that does not become an echo of God's will is just a noise in heaven and earth. In addition to paying attention to whether he can write and whether he has the gift of writing, the author should also explore what other gifts God has placed in his life. How to match? How has it been used? These different gifts are like the various musical instruments God has placed in the author. When they are harmoniously matched, the music revealed through the words creates character and power.

The purpose of understanding gifts is not only to understand ourselves, but also to seek God’s guidance and calling for our life. On this journey of exploration and response, understanding gifts is only the first step. Walk slowly and carefully.

Ruixin, writer, whose articles have been scattered in newspapers and magazines. He was a columnist for "Cosmic Light" magazine and "True Love" family magazine, and is currently the author of "Beijing Foundation" magazine. At the same time, he has been running the "Private School Madam" blog, "Give me your sincerity" blog, "It's You" blog for many years, and has a Facebook page "Grab Happiness". He is the author of the books "The Footsteps of a Wanderer", "Managing the Family and Mind", and "The Wisdom of Discipline".