Spiritual Gifts are Like Cooking Shows

1 Peter 4:10 – As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…

When our daughters were little, I would often sit with them on the couch and tell them we would watch whatever they wanted. As a fan of sporting events, home building shows, and pretty much anything in which bad guys are shot, it was an act of loving service to sit through countless hours of their favorite cooking and baking shows.

I cannot much cook anything beyond toast. Thankfully, I am good at ordering food from a restaurant, and my wife Grace is an amazing cook. Starting as little girls, Ashley and Alexie liked learning about new ingredients and dishes from the television, and then heading into the kitchen to cook or bake something for themselves. I was happy to be the designated taste tester sampling all their latest culinary creations.

What I gathered from my time watching cooking shows with my little ladies is that every recipe has both ingredients and measurements. The key to getting great flavors is putting the right ingredients in and doing so in the right measurement. On one occasion, I sought to help cook and, when I went to put a dash of salt in a bowl, the lid came off and we had a deluge of salt, which changed the taste of the dish from savory to seaworthy.

Ministry is a bit like cooking. God our Master Chef picks both the spiritual gift ingredients we are each given, along with the portion or measurement of each. God’s recipe for each of us is unique so that our ministry contribution is uniquely flavored.

Next time you cook or watch a cooking show, think about how God has created us with different combinations and mixes of spiritual gifts, just like you mix things together to cook or bake.

To find the 100+ page study guide and sermon series that accompanies this devotional series, or to find a free mountain of Bible teaching, visit realfaith.com or download the Real Faith app.

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