Spiritual Gifts and Humility: Using God’s Tools Without Pride

Summary

Before using spiritual gifts, believers need a heart check. Pride, either inflating or diminishing self-worth, damages unity and ministry. God calls Christians to humility, recognizing diverse gifts within one body. Romans 12 describes gifts such as serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, mercy, and prophecy. These are God’s tools, given to build others up. Our purpose is not self-promotion but faithfully using what God provides to complete our assignments.

Start with a Heart Check

Before we run our first marathon, it is wise to consult a doctor. The doctor can check our heart to make sure a marathon is a realistic goal.

Before we use our biblical spiritual gifts, we also need a heart check. Pride can render our spiritual heart insensitive.

It pollutes our gifts and makes their use more damaging than helpful. Pride can make us overrate ourselves (Romans 12:3).

That inevitably causes conflict. Like porcupines, we puff up our quills and jab one another.

Spiritual Gifts and Humility

Pride can make us underrate ourselves. Humble Christians do not evaluate themselves based on looks, intelligence, or wealth.

They focus on their God-given abilities to conduct spiritual ministry. They do not stoop to seem smaller. They are comfortable in their skin.

Humility reduces conflict. Other churches do not have to be just like ours. God emphasizes unity despite great diversity in the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5).

Spiritual gifts and humility must never be separated. Our goal is not to be the “hammer of the month.” We are all part of one tool chest. We have different God-given abilities.

God’s Seven Spiritual Gifts

We give other believers the freedom to be all God created them to be. Romans 12:6-8 describes seven specific abilities God’s Spirit gives. There are others. Our gifts benefit God and other believers. (Romans 12:7). So, what are the seven?

Prophecy can include predictions for the future. Usually, it is communicating the revealed truth that convicts and builds up the hearers. It must involve only what God has revealed and spoken through the Holy Spirit.

Serving is meeting the material needs of believers. It equips them to complete their divine assignments.

Teaching is instructing others in Christian doctrine in a way they understand. It includes living in harmony with that teaching. It is both show and tell.

Encouraging spurs believers to have patience and perseverance by appealing to their hearts and will. It might include clapping and cheering for them to bring out the best in them.

Giving is contributing to the needs of others. We do it with singleness of heart and pure motives. Givers do not expect to receive anything in return.

Leading is the ability to govern the affairs of the church and be vigilant over the flock. Leaders do not seek to elevate themselves.

Those who show mercy minister to the sick and needy cheerfully and spontaneously.

On February 9, 1941, at the end of his speech, Winston Churchill said, “Give us the tools, and we’ll finish the job.”¹ God has given us the tools.

Our purpose on earth is to use them to complete our assignments.

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