Do you know your spiritual gifts, that is, concerning serving the Lord?  Do
you know if you have been called, or otherwise, assigned to a ministry?  I
personally have believed for 30 years or more that everyone has a gift in
the body of Christ, if not more, and that the job of every pastor, if he
truly is one called of God to the office of a pastor, is to assist others in
seeing their gift, or gifts, and assisting them in learning how to use their
gift in the church.  I am not referring to any talents or gifts that come
naturally or with which you are born.  Shoot, come to think of it, I don't
have a single one of those and wish I did.  What I mean is, just because you
can play the juice harp, doesn't mean that is your gift to bring glory to
God in bring strength to the Body of Christ.  It will help and should be
recognize by a pastor in order that it could be used in the church but it
doesn't mean that is your spiritual gift.  Shoot, when I pastored a
different church here in Denver, we had a truck driver who played the kazoo.
Isn't that what they call a piece of cellophane or wax paper stuck between a
couple of pieces of cardboard or something?  You know what I'm talking about
I think.  Anyhow, he had no talents but he asked me before church one Sunday
if he could talk with me.  He told me this was the only instrument he could
play but he wanted to worship the Lord with it.  He showed it too me.  It
was a miniature cardboard trumpet and when you blew through it, you hummed
through  it to get that goofy weird sound.  Some other people were standing
around, a couple of elders, and I said, "Bob, if that is the way you worship
and you are sincere, you can blow that thing until you have no air left as
far as I am concerned."  Bob said, "Well, I'll play it respectfully, Pastor,
and I won't play it at any weird times or nothing; just when we are
singing."  I said, "Blow away, Brother."  You know why I said ok to his
request?  Because, I knew Bob's heart and how much He loved Jesus.  I knew,
when I heard his little horn, of sorts, that Jesus would be listening, too,
because Jesus loved Bob as much as anyone else.  As we sang that morning,
Bob blew away on his make shift horn and it was more beautiful than any
angel's horn, I guarantee you that.  So, where are you?  What do you feel?
Does your pastor know your gift yet?

Phil.