What is Your Spiritual Gifts Verse?
One of the spiritual practices that has been useful to me in recent years is, as I encounter a verse in Scripture that seems to speak more loudly than others in a particular season, I add it to my calendar on my iPhone and have it pop up as a reminder either daily, weekly, or monthly. The past few months have been particularly difficult, and I have felt distracted, more inwardly-focused, and less able to walk toward others as I process my own grief and overwhelm.
Then, a few weeks ago, I read a passage in a devotional book I have upstairs. The entry for that day began with the following verse from Isaiah 50:4:
The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
A bit later, I was downstairs and picked up an entirely different devotional book by another author. The entry for that day began with the exact same verse from Isaiah 50.
One of my strongest spiritual gifts is that of Exhortation--knowing “the word that sustains the weary”. The intersection of that fact and the non-coincidence of encountering this particular reminder, comfort, and challenge in a heretofore rather unfamiliar passage got my attention. Enough to add Isaiah 50:4 as a 9:00 a.m. daily reminder upon which to meditate.
Each day that I re-read this verse on my phone, I am struck by
--the reminder that the Sovereign Lord is the one who has given me my gifts to use to encourage and exhort others
--the comfort that He is the one who instructs and wakens me each new day, and
--the challenge that I am to listen—to Him—for His leading and guiding and wisdom.
Perhaps one of your spiritual gifts is Prophecy. Might Isaiah 6:5-8 be a key passage for you:
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
A reminder, a comfort, and a challenge.
What might be a verse or passage of Scripture that speaks in a unique way to you in this season about God’s calling and purpose and gifting of you—that might also serve as a daily reminder, comfort, and challenge to you in this season?
If you have or find your spiritual gifts verse/s, let me know by messaging me.
If you don’t know your gifts—or, if it’s been a while since you did a gifts assessment, please avail yourself of these free resources:
Downloadable Resources--See Sample List of Interest Areas; Your Spiritual Gifts—A Study Guide; Knowing Your Unique Calling and Purpose Study Guide; Whole-Life Ministry: A Form of Worship, Grace-Giving, and Living into Your Calling.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Equipping Ministries Director at her church since 1999.
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© Photo by Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.