1 Timothy 4:13: Using Your Spiritual Gift

1 Timothy 4:13.. "Do not neglect the gift you have."

Christmas has recently ended, and I'm sure we all opened a number of gifts from family members and friends. Though some of these gifts were probably less exciting than others, I'm assuming that all of you reading this had at least one gift that you really enjoyed (for me, it was a bowling ball case, but that's besides the point). But what if you chose to take that gift and throw it away? What would it look like if you chose to not use something that someone paid a decent amount of money for you to get?

In our spiritual lives, I believe that we often do this very thing. Each one of us has a spiritual gift (Romans 12:3-8). Though we might not know exactly what that gift is, we are commanded to use it to the best of our ability that we might serve the Church of God (Romans 12:6). In short, we are commanded to use our gift just as we are (hopefully!) taking advantage of all of the gifts that were given to us this Christmas. However, oftentimes we do not do this, and we fail to use our spiritual gifts. We take what God has given us (even through the death of his own son) and neglect to use it to serve the church. Surely how great a sin this is.

This is why, in 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul admonishes timothy to "not neglect the gift you have." Surely, we ought to take this commandment to heart as well. God has given us each a gift. For some, its teaching. For others, administration. For others, mercy. For others, faith. And for others, many other things. But here's the question I would like to ask you all this morning: are you using your spiritual gift, or are you neglecting it? God has given you a gift that you might use it to serve his church, but have you? If not, I encourage you to do so today.

And if you are still struggling to use your spiritual gift, ask yourself how you would feel if a person you bought a present for this year simply didn't use it. Likewise, use the gift God has given you so that it does not go to waste.