As children of God, we have all inherited some gift or another from Him. Some have more, some less. But we all have something.I have been thinking about gifts of the Spirit pretty extensively of late, largely because I wish I had a certain one. Let's review them: In the Doctrine and Covenants section 46, the prophet Joseph Smith spoke of these gifts: (D&C 46: 13-26)
13To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
13To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
14 To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.
15 And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
16 And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
17 And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom.
18 To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
19 And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
20 And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
21 And again, to some is given the working of miracles;
22 And to others it is given to prophesy;
23 And to others the discerning of spirits.
24 And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues;
25 And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.
26 And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.
15 And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
16 And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
17 And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom.
18 To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
19 And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
20 And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
21 And again, to some is given the working of miracles;
22 And to others it is given to prophesy;
23 And to others the discerning of spirits.
24 And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues;
25 And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.
26 And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.
Elder Marvin J. Ashton taught that there are also these gifts:
"[T]he gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost."
With such an abundance of gifts from our Father in Heaven, surely you recognize one or two in yourself, right? Don't be fooled by the falsehood that 'you have no talents.'
"[T]he gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost."
With such an abundance of gifts from our Father in Heaven, surely you recognize one or two in yourself, right? Don't be fooled by the falsehood that 'you have no talents.'
I think it is oftentimes difficult to identify our gifts, for fear of being thought of as prideful. Whom are we serving if we choose to hide our gifts, or to deny them when others point them out? We have these gifts, as Joseph taught, for the benefit of the children of God. We must use them according to how the Spirit guides us, and I personally don't believe Heavenly Father wants us to keep them a secret. Sure, we don't need to yell about it from the nearest hill, but let's at least acknowledge what God has given us!
So let's open the door of the gift closet and let ourselves out. Hello. My name is Devon, and I have the gift of teaching wisdom and knowledge. I am a teacher by education, and a darn good one, thanks to that gift from God. I have recently also been given the gift of empathy due to my son's health issues. I wish I had the gift of faith, but that is another post.
What gifts do you have from your Heavenly Father? How can you use them better? Don't be shy, now!
Devon is wife to a wonderful guy and mom to a superhero. Check her out at Defining Devon or see a real live Superman at The Daily Dakin.
picture courtesy of here
