Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
1 Timothy 4:14 NIV
This passage does not make clear what Timothy’s specific gift was. Nor is it clear what significance we should attach to the gift being conferred through prophecy and the elders laying their hands on him. Elsewhere, God is described as giving gifts. So it may be that this is describing more of a confirmation or ordination, a setting aside for service, rather than the actual gift-giving itself.
But whatever the significance of the rest of the verse, Paul’s instruction to Timothy applies to all of us. “Do not neglect your gift.” According to 1 Corinthians 12:7, each of us within the body of Christ has been gifted. We have been equipped to serve some role within the body.
Many people assume that because they can’t preach, teach, or sing, they are not gifted. But the body is much more than a passive collection of people being entertained by speakers and musicians. It is a living organism with many working parts necessary for its health and success. And each of us has a God-given role to fill within that body.
We often label gifts of the Spirit as ‘spiritual gifts’ and distinguish them from ‘natural talents’. But Exodus 31:1-11 makes it clear that the Spirit also gifts us with artistic and craftsman abilities. He may have gifted you with athletic, technical, verbal, or clerical abilities. We need to be careful not to assume that only the so-called spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are gifts of the Spirit that He gives for the benefit of the body.
If you fail to exercise your gift, then you are hurting the body, and yourself as a member of that body. The body is built up as each part does its work (Eph. 4:16). So don’t neglect your gift. Discover it if needed. Find a way to incorporate your gift(s) into the life of the body. If God has given it to you, it is for a reason. And the body needs it.
Related Posts
The post Don’t Neglect Your Gift – 1 Timothy 4:14 appeared first on A Clay Jar.
