https://odb.org/2024/04/16/ready-to-go-3
There are two aspects to Ephesians 4:1. One is the worthy life and the other the calling. For the latter, we all have our own specific calling. That is probably why spiritual gifts, as listed in 5 different places in the New Testament, are not identical. These lists are likely not exhaustive. Thus, you and I may have a spiritual gift that is not listed, and yet it is nevertheless a gift or a talent that is unique to us for us to help out in the Kingdom of God. Each of us has our own niche to contribute to God’s work, a specific place and role in the universal church.
However, going hand in hand with our spiritual giftings and talents is our life. Are we the new man in the Lord? Or are we still so caught up with our old man with our own desires of the flesh? Have we sanctified and surrendered our ambitions to God, or are we still pursuing our own selfish ambitions to be successful, rich, and famous? To be somebody in the world, rather than the person God wants us to be? Have you become the person with the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit?
Spiritual giftings and talents are aspects of our spiritual life that need to be developed to be more effective in ministry. These are unique elements of who we are in Christ that need to be honed and sharpened. Yet the other half of the equation needs to be equally progressed in parallel. We need both talent and character to fully function in the spiritual realm. The cunning and conniving Jacob needs to wrestle with God to become Israel. The Israelites need to spend 40 years in the wilderness to hone their dependence on the LORD before entering the Promised Land.
Use our God-given talents and giftings to serve Him with all our heart, mind, and strength but put equal effort into not conforming to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Become the person God wants us to be in both deed and character. Do not neglect who we are and who we will become as we use the gifts and talents God has given us to respond to His calling for our lives!
Ronnie's Thoughts 