Many of us wonder at times why God created us or what our purpose is. It is a very natural curiosity. If we were competing in a sporting event, it would be good to know how to win the game. Or if we were going to build something, it would be helpful to know what the finished product is supposed to look like. In the same way, when we are playing the “game” of life, it is normal to check in on occasion and figure out 1) if we are on course and 2) if we’re making good progress.
As Christians, we are fortunate that Jesus gave us a great starting point for answering these questions. In Matthew 22:37-40 He tells us the two most important things we are supposed to do:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Just that simple, right? Love God, Love people. Yes, sort of, but there is a more to the story which can be described with another sports metaphor.
Let’s say that you are in high school and everyone at your school is required to play a sport. If you are very tall and coordinated, you may think about playing basketball. If you are smaller but very fast, you might make a good running back or maybe a sprinter on the track team.
Similarly, in our effort to love our neighbor, we will be more effective if we first identify our spiritual gifts. Here is a link to a great explanation of spiritual gifts that includes a list of all of the gifts in the Bible. In short, these are special talents that each of us has been given by God.
As examples, if your gifts are “missions” and “administration” then you may be best suited to help coordinate various types of missions. Or if your gifts are “teaching” and “leading” then you should focus your efforts on developing and leading teaching ministries.
There are hundreds of surveys online to help you determine your spiritual gifts. Here is a good one created by the Methodist Church.
Once you know your gifts, you’ll be better equipped to Love God and to Love People and move closer to becoming the man God created you to be.
Questions:
- Have you ever taken a spiritual gifts survey? If so, what are your gifts?
- Whether or not you know your spiritual gifts, do you feel like you’ve been consistently attracted to certain types of service or ministries?
- Why is it important to understand our spiritual gifts?
- Is it a bad thing to volunteer or serve in ways that are not directly related to your spiritual gifts?
- Based on today’s lesson, what are some things you can do to make sure you are on track and making progress in the game of life?
Men's Small Group Blog 