Do you sometimes feel that you are living your life for someone else? I did for far too many years. Whose priority are you setting? Is it what your friends want? Your parents, children, business associates, or possibly the need of the moment? My life has been a journey of self-discovery and continuous improvement. It took me many years and a lot of wasted efforts to realize that my only real priority was to pursue what God had intended for me – not someone else.

^{“Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!” 1 Corinthians 12:7, The Message}

Paul’s words above it says, “each person is given.” You have been given a gift from God. In our culture, we associate gifts with achievement or success. We give and receive gifts for birthdays, high school and college graduations, wedding anniversaries, and so on. These gifts are based upon achievement; I believe that God gives us gifts so that we can pass them onto others and glorify Him.

I remember almost 30 years ago listening to Dr. Charles Stanley on TV and his series on Success God’s Way. I ordered the CD Cassette series (now on my iPod). He defines success as:

“A Continuing Desire to Pursue God’s Desires First, and foremost, we must recognize that as believers, we are the sons and daughters of the living God. Success from God’s viewpoint does not begin and end with what we do in our lives. It begins and ends with who we are as His children. Here is the definition of success on which this book is based: Success is the continuing achievement of becoming the person God wants you to be and accomplishing the goals (priority) God has helped you set.” The underlined section is what I have adopted for myself, and I changed the word goals to priority. It is about setting the right priority for each of us and God’s priority for our lives.

Do you know what your gift is? A simple way to determine this is to ask yourself a few questions. 

• What energizes you?
• What do you love?
• What are you good at?

Were you able to answer these questions quickly? The first time I asked myself these, it took a while for me, and I had to think back many years. My answers related to when I was in high school. It made me realize that I had gotten off track somewhere along the way, but I was encouraged to know that the gifts God gave me were still inside of me.

^{“God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty – never canceled, never rescinded.” Romans 11:29, The Message}

Below are my results after taking the “Spiritual Gifts Test.” 

Be encouraged today that God has given you gifts, and if you decide to trust Him, ask for His help so they will continue to be developed. You can live your best life and become your best self by setting and working on your single priority.

Seeking to live in His reflection,

Jerry