What's your gift?
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10
Last week's message was all about how we can accept God's invitation to see where He is working and how we can join Him in that work.
As we elevate our gaze to see where God is working around us, we have an incredible opportunity to use our gifts for the purpose of serving (and loving) others.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of 4th Graders at my childhood elementary school. I sat in my old 4th Grade classroom (which was MUCH SMALLER than I remembered) and shared what God has done in my life. I was reminded as I prepared to share with the Bible Club that I was in 4th Grade when God planted a seed in my life that would grow to become the biggest part of my ministry.
I love technology (yes, like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite). My love of technology really began when I was in that very same 4th Grade classroom when someone gave me a floppy disc with a copy of Netscape loaded to the disc. I took the program home, loaded it on my parent's computer, plugged in the modem line, and I CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET for the first time. It was incredible. It was mostly text files on a page, but I was hooked. God put something in motion 20 years ago that would change the direction of my life.
In college, my major was Media Ministry; it was a cross between Mass Communications and Christian Studies. I grew in my knowledge and understanding of different forms of media while taking hermeneutic classes. Throughout my time in college, my mind was racing with ideas on how the church could use technology to engage with people from all over the world. This was at the cusp of the Web 2.0 movement, and online life continues to grow at an exponential pace.
Today, I have the incredible opportunity to engage with people from all around the world on a daily basis through technology. Highlands Fellowship has a global presence and I am so blessed to share in that work as the Online Director. I lead our Online Campus, which meets live each weekend to offer community and connection to people. All you need to be a part of HFOnline is a cell or internet connection. Our world is growing rapidly, but it is also getting closer and more connected thanks to technology and the internet.
I am blessed that I am able to use my gifts to serve the local (and global) church. God planted a seed in my life with a floppy disc and a 56k modem that has grown into something that I could not have ever imagined in 1998. Peter reminds us that we should "use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms". My life is a testimony to God's faithfulness that He will bring about His will through us when we step out and use our gifts.
What is your gift? Where is God leading you to use those gifts? I don't know what your gifts are, but I do know that God is faithful to use our gifts for His glory.
- Written by James Eaton.
James serves on staff at Highlands as our Online Director.