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Effective use of your gifts & talents

We must never let ourselves be chiefly defined by the gift we exercise or the role we play.  We are first and foremost humans in the image of God, greatly loved by Him!  Our gifts, roles, etc, are 'sub-expressions' of who we are in Christ.

This being said, we can say that any role we exercise must be for the common good.  That is, it is to build up and edify others.

With this in mind, a person will exercise their gift well if the following characteristics have been built into their lives:

• A vital relationship with God
  
• An ability to wait on God for His timing and will
  
• A compassion for people
  
• A vision for the potential of their gift(s)
  
• A servant spirit
  
• A developing participation in a team
  
• A volunteer spirit
  
• A life of example
  
• A disciplined life