Exercise: Gifts of Grace
CLASS ASSIGNMENT ON THE GRACE GIFTS
1. List the ways you have exercised the gifts of Giving, Ministry, Helps and Hospitality in your life.
Be specific and especially share the unusual ways you have shared these gifts. If you do not have these gifts but can think of someone who does, share with us the interesting ways you have witnessed them use their gifts.
CLASS RESPONSES TO THE ASSIGNMENT
1. Giving – This is difficult to talk about because it is to be done in secret. I would have to say that our giving is in large part financial both to church and our family that have had needs. We do give our children material items when they are needy and financial help also. I wish we could give much more than we do. I have been on the receiving end of physical giving for the last couple of years because I have been ill and my husband is a wonderful giver of loving care, just like the good Samaritan.
As a wife and mother, I have been in the position in the past to take loving care of my family. In Spiritual giving, our daughter and son-in-law recently started pastoring a church after being in a completely different occupation, so since it was a small church, we felt led to go and take part with them and support their efforts. Their church is an hour each way from our town. My husband preaches sometimes, subs in the band, and we are able to support them financially. I can see that I have been out of the loop during this illness, but not in my heart. We still do as much as we can, and there is no distance in prayer.
I just thought of an instance of giving just after we were first saved. We knew we were supposed to tithe, but if we did, we wouldn’t have any money left. We had food, but our gas tank was really low on gasoline. Preston looked at me and I looked at him, and we gave. I told him that God would see to it that we had gasoline and if He didn’t, Preston could walk the three blocks to work. The children rode the bus to school. So that Sunday we gave, and on Sunday night driving to church, I saw money in the street. I told Preston to pull over, and when he did, there was a ten dollar bill in the street, our gas money. The children all knew it was a miracle too.
2.) Ministry – I was a social worker before retirement and worked in the Benevolence Ministry at church. I am not able to lift food boxes and frozen Thanksgiving turkeys anymore, but I did have a grocery store ministry several times over the years, and still could if there was a needy candidate. When we were first married, we took my grandmother to the grocery store because she didn’t drive. When my daughter had two babies a year apart, I always went with her. She had one baby in her cart and I had the other, and we both bought our groceries at the same time. Then an elderly lady in our church lost her daughter and she couldn’t drive, so we would go to the grocery together each week. It was good fellowship. She also would run errands to the bank or doctor prior to the grocery store visit. I think I minister in quiet ways, like prayers and ideas that I give my husband. He ministers in big ways through teaching and preaching, and I get to enjoy that.
3. Helps – My husband is my helper and I am his. It’s funny, because I just thought of a song, “My beloved is mine and I am his”, that describes us, and Jesus is the third strand of the cord of our marriage. Next week will be 47 years of marriage and it has passed so quickly that it seems only yesterday that we met. It has been 36 years since we met Jesus, and He has helped us SO many times over the years. My husband went with me to every chemo session and every doctor’s visit, sitting on a stool, uncomfortable, and going to get me water and a warm blanket. He has given me many cups of water in Jesus name. He still does it every day, brings my water. Jesus is with us and never leaves us. We are blessed.
4. Hospitality – We always had Bible studies in our home, and for years had Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family. Now our children have us come for Thanksgiving and Christmas because it’s easier for two to travel to another city than for fifteen to do it. With our friends, we usually go out to eat now, instead of cooking. At church, we have a monthly pot luck and good fellowship. We enjoy our time with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Well. I laugh as I remember this. I was so mad at the Lord at the time but not in a mean way. Keeping our giving hidden goes both ways I feel, not letting anyone know who has given the gift so that the Lord is glorified and also……. in some cases, protecting our identity for reasons of our shyness.
Years ago, I felt prompted to give our new Pastor’s family a gift and it brought me much joy to put the gift in the offering ANONYMOUSLY. The thing was, very soon afterwards, our new Pastor (who I later realized was a powerful intercessor) contacted me and he said the Lord had TOLD him that he should ask Cherie to look after his children! I was very shy and awkward with people I didn’t know very well and the thought of going to Pastor’s house alone to take care of his teenage children over whelmed me and it took every ounce of grace and courage to front up for the baby sitting. I was muttering under my breath to the Lord, You shouldn’t have told Him Lord, why did You tell him. Father God didn’t take offence at me 🙂
Another time, years ago, I was interstate.. quite a long way from home and alone, visiting a church in O’Connor Canberra ACT Australia. Getting ready for church on the Sunday morning I found myself in a bit of a quandary because I was alone and far from home, I wondered if I should reserve my money and not give… well restrict my giving. I sensed the Holy Spirit very close to me in this moment of indecision so I resolved to give freely. On the way home from church, I was on foot, crossing the busy Yass Highway… a multi carriage way and as I crossed the highway and stopped at the island in the middle of the highway to wait for a break in the traffic (this was 1979), what should come floating down the busy windy highway but a five dollar note! It came to a stop at my feet. I was overcome with joy at the outward demonstration of God’s love of obedience and giving.
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1. Giving
When I was first born again, someone told me something about tithing. My husband was not born again at that time and wouldn’t have wanted to give a tithe at church. Then someone told me that I should tithe from the money I had control of. The first thing I thought of was the laundry money. I have a big family, all grown now, who were teenagers and several had jobs. I made a point to tell them all that any money left in their pockets was my pay for doing the laundry. I began saving mostly coins at first and I would take them to church. It was a long time ago and in that church, the usher had a basket attached to a pole. I would get a kick out of his look of shock when the big bunch of coins was deposited in the basket! Soon after that, I began finding money everywhere…even a $20 bill in a shoe. And each time I found some money, I would start singing…”everytime it rains, it rains, pennies from heaven…” My giving progressed to whatever I saved from my grocery money or other windfalls. I also remember one time receiving a check for $1000 from an aunt and uncle who wanted us to come to New Mexico and drive for them on a vacation. Then I began receiving large checks from my stepdad, which he gave so that he could use it as a deduction on his income tax. I always tithed from all these windfalls. One time I bought a very expensive guitar for a gifted worship leader.
Through the years my habits have changed. For several years when my husband had a successful business I tithed a lot to my local church. After retirement, and with limited income, we have tried to give a portion of our income to needy ones in our own family. Also I have had a burden for an orphanage in Indonesia where the children make beautiful hand made cards. One of my daughters is living there and she buys the cards directly from them and brings them to me in the states. It is a ywam ministry and the cards just sell themselves and I send the money back with her. (The director wondered how a (presumably old) lady like me could sell $400 worth of cards!)
Also I have tried to find people among my relationships who have a special need that I can collect money for or just give them something anonymously. Giving is something that gives me GREAT JOY!!
2. ministry
At one time I had a childrens group. We had a lot of fun with me playing my accordian. I would lead them around the church in a march for Jesus. The Lord seemed to always be right on time to give me something to teach to them. Then I made life sized puppets and wrote skits for them. The local nursing homes clients loved the puppets and sometimes a puppet would touch them when nothing else did. All through my Christian life, the Lord has prompted me to write little stories, skits, or modern parables. Sometimes the thing I was supposed to write about would just keep convicting me; if I didn’t get it done right away. And I still have those times, when I MUST write about something.
3. Helps
probably not a real strong gifting in me I have always loved to decorate churches for special occasions and even enjoyed cleaning churches because it was a time I could spend in prayer.
4. Hospitality.
When the kids were growing up we always had a full house. Our big round table with a window seat could always squeeze in another kid or two. We tell the story of one of my daughters boyfriends who came to eat with us for the first time. I had made a huge bowl of spaghetti. When the boyfriend was the first one served, he only took a very small helping thinking he could get some more later..BUT..when the big bowl had been all around, there was NONE left and he was out of luck.
There were lots of kids that virtually lived with us for one reason or another. We still have a lot of people who visit us that spent a lot of time at our house. I guess we were substitute mom and dad for them and still are part of their lives.
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GIVING
The Lord has given me His heart to give through writing. I have people ask me if I speak and I have always turned them down. Part of that is that I know I am to stick within the boundaries of my calling and only increase as He says to.
I want to share something that is very personal to me as to how this gift to give was planted in my life. In the early 1970’s I went to a Charles and Francis Hunter 2 PM meeting and we met in a small room. Charles got up to say something and he said the Lord had given a Word to him for someone in the room. I don’t think more than 30 people were sitting in the rows. He looked straight at ME. I was on the end seat and there was no way I could avoid his gaze. He said that someone in here is very depressed and you have turned it inward.
He explained that black holes were stars that had a magnetic gravity pull inward and they imploded and lost their light. He said it was a serious warning. He said the way you get out of depression is to refuse to navel gaze about your own misery, but give and encourage someone else. I swallowed every bit and turned my life around.
I have suffered many things on a personal level and most of them were great causes for misery in the flesh and soul. But instead I chose to give and not think about myself. I realized many times in my past it was a life and death decision and so I stuck to giving when things got really, really tough.
I was a full time Christian musician for over 20 years and I laid it all down. Later when I went through the fire, there were times when I lost all my abilities to worship the Lord except in my head. I could not tap my toe, raise my arms, or use my hands. There were other times I could do almost nothing to take care of myself, but God gave me the ability to sit and type in bed, with taped up fingers and wrists. And so I continued. When God gives someone the passion to give, they become His sacrifices and pour out.
Prov 11:25 NLT
The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
MINISTRY
I see the gift of ministry like a manager of a business. They work for another, but have enough authority to see the needs of the public and gain a plan or implement a plan to help serve a public need.
For me, I have worked secretly behind the scenes at a public internet company. For many years I have prayed for this company, stood in the gap, and sent Words of the Lord to the CEOs. Eventually I was paid to be the company’s prophetic intercessor and then moved into a position of a manager. After transition and semi retirement, I became their consultant moving in gifts of counsel, wisdom and prophetic for those in authority.
The bottom line is that my place in this company has been to stand with one foot in the needs of the public and the other foot understanding the CEO’s position and trying to help bridge a gap so that both needs could be met. Throughout these years it has been an amazing use of my managerial giftings, something I never expected to use… as a stay at home mother, wife and minister!
HELPS
Along the same line, occasionally as the needs arose, I have ministered in the gift of helps as a fill in position and backup for those who were sick or on vacation, in the same company. I have helped in tech support, glitch and bug for software research, and other misc deeds.
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This lesson was a stretch for me because I feel uncomfortable talking about the things I do to bless others because those things are done in secret and in obedience to the Lord, but this has been a really good exercise and has helped me to understand more fully how God has created me, and how He has created others, and the importance of “staying in your lane” and doing what He has called you to do, and how very necessary each part of the body is for it to function fully the way that God intended it to.
Gift of Giving – When I had the financial means, I loved to bless people by buying them nice presents, taking them out to eat, and giving them things that they needed – I received GREAT joy when I did this. Now that money is tight, I give to others by giving of my time. I love to pray for people and listen to them as they share their heart with me. I love to counsel people and minister to their emotional needs, and I truly enjoy mentoring people and helping them to grow spiritually and in their giftings. I especially enjoy encouraging people – the Lord shows me those who are hurting and in need of encouragement, and He gives me the words to speak to them that will bring life and hope, and that will help them to continue to run the race that He has set before them. I receive great fulfillment in helping meet people’s needs by giving of my time and spiritual gifts.
Gift of Service – I have always been a “behind the scenes” person – that is where I have always felt the most comfortable, and where God has always placed me in all of my jobs. In my current job I work in fundraising with another woman (the two of us are solely responsible for bringing all of the funds into our non-profit ministry). I am the one who makes all of the phone calls and gets people to our fundraising events (I am very blessed that I work at a Christian ministry and am able to freely pray with people whenever the opportunity arises). I am responsible for a lot of behind the scenes detail work, which makes our events flow smoothly, and allows my co-worker to do what God has gifted her to do – she is a wonderful speaker, and all of my behind the scenes work frees her up to do her job. I love to do little helpful things for people. For example, at work several people use one printer that is located quite a distance from their offices, so whenever I see something sitting on the printer I love to take the print job to the person it belongs to, and when the soap dispenser runs out I fill it – little things like that make a difference. I also find myself putting things back on the shelf at the grocery store when I see that something has been knocked off of the shelf and is sitting on the floor, and when I come across litter in the parking lot at a place of business, I pick it up and throw it away so someone else doesn’t have to.
Gift of Helps – I absolutely love it when I have the opportunity to work with people as a team and we are able to work shoulder to shoulder. This type of teamwork was especially highlighted to me when I worked as a teller at a bank. I happened to work at the busiest bank in the area, and we would often have extremely long lines of people waiting in line, and we could not have done our jobs efficiently or effectively if we did not each jump in and pull our own load. We truly relied on one another, and it was very fulfilling at the end of the day when we had successfully completed our jobs, due to everyone pulling together as a very smoothly functioning and flowing team. In my current job, I experienced wonderful teamwork when we had our banquet fundraiser a few months ago. Each staff member, and several volunteers jumped in and did their part, and the result was absolutely beautiful as God’s glory was revealed and lives were touched and changed. The entire evening I marveled at how smoothly everything flowed and fit together, especially when so many different helping hands were involved, but the end result was absolutely amazing! At the end of the evening we heard some of our guests comment that it was the best banquet that our ministry has ever had, and they have been holding banquets for 24 years! I rejoiced and thanked the Lord for His goodness! What we experienced that evening was a perfect picture of how God desires the body of Christ to flow together in unity – being led by His Spirit. When each member of the body does the part that God has assigned them to do, the end result is that we are able to see His glory established in our midst, and souls are saved and lives forever changed.
Gift of Hospitality – I love to find people who look uncomfortable, and begin to talk to them and put them at ease and make them feel that they belong and are part of the family. I have worked as a greeter at different churches over the years, and I love smiling at people, giving them a hug when appropriate or shaking their hand, and helping them to feel loved, accepted, and special. It gives me great joy, and I know I am making a difference.
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i am glad for this opportunity to share in all that is going on. so many times i do lots of things that i somehow do not call it ways of God speaking. it is quite new to me that service, helps etc can be tagged ways through which God speaks to us. i dont know if i can categorise it the way you have all done. i can try.
financial.: i have always loved giving to the Lord. i pay my tithe once my salary comes in but i love giving extra. i belong to two fellowships that are not church oriented, just some group of people coming together to pray. i give whenever the need arises. i see so much young ones who want to write their school exams but have no money and i just give to them. this has meant forgoing things i really wanted myself.
i give out so many things, to those who lack, i have a friend who is married with two kids and no job, i help out with money, and especially i was touched when she needed to do a fibroid operation, my brother gave her some huge amount of money to do the operation which is something he would normally not do. i knew it was a miracle.
i also find that i can stand in the place of prayer, i am touched with the burdens of others. people dont even need to tell me to pray, once i talk with someone or read a note, i feel God let me in to hear their cries and pray about it so after every conversation, i turn inwards and begin to pray about it.
i have seen people so depressed but i can come in and visit them and discuss with them and pray with them and they get lifted out of it.
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My one of my passions is to help people, and I can’t wait until the Lord releases me to help others in a bigger way.
it pains me so much when I am unable to help. its funny, when I read about that one girl who jumped up to get the water bottle and was right there with a tissue.. I am the exact same way. my mom will ask me for something. and.. ZOOOM I’m back and have it finished.. or someones trying to move a heavy table… I’m right there on the other side. I see that someone needs something, and before they even ask.. there I am with it! 🙂
these past couple years have been so hard for me because of my health issues. I am unable to help people like I used to. and people have been having to help me instead! which makes me really sad.. I hate to be a burden.. I rather be the one making things a bit lighter!
Though I have been able to help people with websites, and other things. I still don’t feel like I’ve been being a BIG enough help. (at least not as big of a help as I wish to be!)
Lately I have been so excited.. because I have been able to do dishes and keep the kitchen up for my mom. along with cleaning and picking up the house. for me this is a HUGE step.
I just pray that my hurt leg heals COMPLETELY, soon so I can help my grandma with my grandpa. and help the poor lady across the street. and be a better, BIGGER help my family. this has been a huge struggle for me!
