8. Service: Using Your Gifts for Others

Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

— 1 Peter 4:10 (NET)

You have gifts (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:8–10; Ephesians 4:11). These gifts aren't for you — they're for the body. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).

How to discover your gifts: serve somewhere (try different ministries — children's, hospitality, teaching), ask others ("What do you think I'm good at?"), and notice what energizes you (what feels like worship, not drudgery?).

How to use your gifts: in your church (volunteer in a ministry), in your community (serve the homeless, tutor children, visit the elderly), in your workplace (use your skills to bless others), and in your home (serve your spouse, children, neighbors).

A woman named Beth is a skilled baker. She started bringing fresh bread to new families at church. Then to neighbors. Then to shut-ins. Now every Saturday she bakes ten loaves and delivers them with a note: "God loves you. So do I." She says, "Baking is my worship. Giving it away is my mission."

Action this week: Serve somewhere (volunteer at church, help a neighbor, visit someone lonely).

9. Generosity: Giving as an Act of Worship

The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.

— 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NET)

The Tithe (10%): Old Testament standard — ten percent of income to God's work. New Testament: no specific command, but the principle remains (Matthew 23:23 — Jesus affirmed tithing). Start here. If you're giving less than ten percent, increase it.

Generous Giving (Beyond 10%): The Macedonian churches gave "beyond their means" (2 Corinthians 8:1–5). As you grow, give more.

Sacrificial Giving (Until It Hurts): The widow gave "all she had to live on" (Mark 12:41–44). Jesus commended her above the rich who gave large amounts. A couple, John and Lisa, give fifty percent of their income. They live simply, drive old cars, buy secondhand clothes. They say, "We can't out-give God. Every time we increase giving, He provides more. It's the most joyful part of our financial life."

Where to give: your local church (1 Corinthians 9:14), missionaries, the poor (Proverbs 19:17 — "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD"), and ministries you trust.

Action this week: Calculate what percentage of your income you give. If it's less than ten percent, increase it this month.