Marc Estes

I recently heard a tragic story about a man that had everything he needed, yet failed to realize it was within his reach. Sadly,  many Christians live their lives this way, missing the entire reason for the existence.

 

There was a man named Edgar who lived most of his life on the streets of Brooklyn. Poor old Edgar spent his days rummaging through trash cans behind restaurants, hoping to score a few scraps for a meal. He gathered aluminum cans and plastic bottles to recycle for a few cents and panhandled for strangers’ compassion as a way to make ends meet. Sometimes he’d use the day’s “proceeds” to buy a can of dog food … a cheaper meal than other items on grocery store shelves. At night Edgar would make his way back to the basement of a condemned building where there was no running water or electricity, just a few gutter rats that had become his only friends. This was the place he called home, where he would lay his head on the cold concrete floor and fall asleep, only to begin the hopeless process again the next day.

 

One cold winter night, Edgar froze to death in his lonely abode. After a few days, city workers found his body and, after digging through his personal belongings, located the addresses of his two grown children who lived in upstate New York.

 

The funeral was short and simple. Few people attended, few tears were shed. Afterward, the man’s children stopped by to pick up Edgar’s his few belongings: some clothes, a pocketknife, a hat, one glove … and a box containing a large rock, given as a gift by an anonymous person, that Edgar has used to prop the door open to his cold, urban cavern. So intrigued with the uniqueness of this rock, his children took it to a geologist friend, who pointed out to their utter amazement that this was one of the largest uncut diamonds ever discovered … worth a staggering $12 million!

 

Edgar lived a hard life struggling to survive out on the streets; then one day he disappeared without ever knowing that the rock he kicked up against the door every day was the key to changing his life forever. Within his reach was a special gift that would have changed everything. Imagine how his life might have changed if he had recognized his doorstop for what it truly was and discovered its worth.

 

One of the most important truths we can seek to understand is the value and proper use of some very special gifts given to us by God to accompish extraordinary exploits. These are know as spiritual gifts which are instrumental in directing us toward fulfilling our purpose and becoming who God created us to be. A spiritual gift is a divine attribute given to someone by the Holy Spirit at conversion according to God’s grace, which is to be used for building up the body of Christ and ministering to others.

 

In other words, the moment you decided to give your life to Christ, He placed within you specific gifts with the intention that you would use them to make your life count … serving others, building up the local church, and reaching your world for Christ, specifically. He wants you to use your spiritual gifts all the time! Ignoring them may result in constant frustration, lack of spiritual fulfillment, and a crippled destiny.

 

Let’s make it our aim to use all that God has given us to be all He intended us to be. Don’t become a “spiritual Edgar.” In closing, if you are wanting to better understand what your spiritual gifts are, click here to take your spritual gifts test now.

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