What are you doing with the gifts God has given you? Each of us is uniquely created with God-given gifts and abilities. Today's passage tells us, "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." That is quite an amazing statement! Before we were born, God decided what contributions He wanted each of us to make with our lives.

You may be thinking, "But what if I don't know what my gifts are?" or "What if I'm not good enough?" These are all common doubts, but remember, God doesn't make mistakes! He has given you unique gifts and abilities, and He will equip you to use them if you will trust Him and step out in faith.

Friends, another word for our "good works" is "ministry." When you use your God-given abilities to help others, you are ministering to them. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

God gave you those gifts for the benefit of others. No one is great at everything; God created a beautiful universe, which makes us dependent on Him and one another. He puts us here to practice and refine what we will do in heaven. In heaven, we will all worship and serve our God!

So, roll up your sleeves and get in the game; we are saved to serve, and we serve our God when we are serving others!

Onward and Upward+ Fr. Greg