Gifted

Thank God believers are gifted with various abilities. God has given believers various spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 notes that one of the spiritual gifts is prophecy. Prophecy is the ability to interpret God's Word and may also include the prediction of future events under the inspiration of God.

All the spiritual gifts are valuable. The ability to interpret God's Word is especially useful for sharing His message with people. Sometimes miracles can be done without people coming into a relationship with God or having their relationship with God strengthened. For example, in Luke 17, 10 lepers were healed by Jesus Christ of their leprosy, but only one went back and thanked God for his healing, and Jesus noted his faith. The benefit of healing for the other nine was temporary instead of eternal. The faith of the one who worshiped God was useful for this earthly life and the next life.

While our spiritual gifts can help us lead a better life today, ultimately we are here for being a means for God to introduce people to Himself or to strengthen a person's relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul encourages us to ask God for gifts like prophecy because they more clearly help with growing in a relationship with God.

However, everyone will not have the same spiritual gift(s). God likes diversity. Just like God did not intend for us all to have the same qualities or to do the same things, neither did He give us the same gifts.

Each believer is valuable and has a role to play in God's kingdom. Don't neglect to use the spiritual gifts that you have.