Have ever played with building blocks such as Lego and Lincoln Logs as a child? I played with both of them as a child; even though I had Legos as a child but not Lincoln Logs. I happened to been at neighbor who had Lincoln Logs.

If you have played with Legos, you know that they hurt your feet if you step on them with your bare feet.

Do you know what the building blocks of life are? They are tools used to help you grow in life. They are not necessary toys like Lego and Lincoln Logs. Growth comes from building on talents, gifts, and strengths- not by solving problems. In this second tidbits, I will be giving you some helpful building blocks on life.

One of the most neglected areas in many people’s lives is the area of gifts that God has placed within them. Do you know what your Spiritual Gifts are? These are the building blocks of life for each and everyone of us. Do you know what you are good at? Do you know what is your calling in life?

We’ll look at 1 Corinthian 12. In verse 1, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” In verse 2, “You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.” In verse 3, “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” In verse 4, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” In verse 5, “There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” In verse 6, “There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” In verse 7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Let us go into each one individually to fully grasp this.

In verse 8, “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the means of the same Spirit.”

In verse 9, “To another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit.”

In verse 10, “to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongue.” Some people has the gift of prophecy, being able to predict the future. I said before, I believed that George Orwell must had the gift of prophecy when he wrote his book, “1984,” A lot of things he had written about is coming true today.

Just like some people has the gift of speaking in tongues, for that gift to be effective there must also be someone who has the ability interpret what is being said.

In verse 11, “All these are work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. In verse 12, “the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body; so it is with Christ.” In verse 13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and were were all given the one Spirit to drink.” In verse 14, “now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” As you can you see, we all need each others to function as a whole. Some are teachers, preachers, doctors, servants, writers, etc.

God cannot take away His gifts and calling in your life. Even if you’ve never done anything with them, even if you’ve failed time and time again, God’s gifts and calling are still resident within you. God’s gifts are never loans; they are always deposits.

Do you appreciate the gifts someone gives you? Do you take care of the gifts or are you careless with it?

When a child received a new toy as a gift, they will play with it until it breaks. I have a black and white teddy bear that I named Eddie, that I slept with until I was 12 years old. If you look at the teddy bear now, you can see the wear and tear on it. It’s no longer black and white; but rather a dirty gray.

Just like when a rich man gave his servants a portion to watched over. Two of them were wise and invest it properly. One was foolish and buried it for safe keeping. When I think about this, I’m reminded how I can be kind of foolish. Growing up, my family wasn’t rich financially but rich in assets. When I inherited some money after my folks passed away, it was more than I’ve seen growing up. I invested it for retirement; but in a way, I became a hoarder with. I figured that money I put away for retirement should be used for retirement, and so I hate the fact of taking it out of retirement to use it somewhere else; even though I need it to live daily.

As Christians, we need to make full use of all the gifts and talents which God has bestowed upon us so that we do not abound in one area while becoming bankrupt in another. Someone once said, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything like a nail.” Don’t allow anyone to take over the driver’s seat in your life! If anyone should take over the driver’s seat , then Jesus, take the wheel.

Never underestimate the power of the gifts that are within you. Gifts and talents are given to use not only so we can fulfill to the fullest the call in our own lives, but also so we can reach the souls who are attached to those gifts. There are people whose lives are waiting to be affected by what God has placed within you. So evaluate yourself! Define and refine your gifts, talents and strengths! Choose today to look for opportunities to exercise your unique God-endowed, God-ordained gifts and calling.

Once again, do you know your Spiritual Gifts? What are you good at? There is a test you can take to find out what you are good at and what your Spiritual gifts are. Once you find what your gifts are, then you can use those gifts to glorify God by being what God made you to be.

These Spiritual gifts are your building blocks of life. It’s not just in churches but in every aspect of life. Employers looks to see if employees are compatible and the right fit for the job. We need each other. A couple find someone who is compatible with them, someone fit nicely with them. My mother was filled with compassion for others, and my step-dad needed that in his life.

We are all one body-with many parts! We need each other if we are to survive and thrive. Don’t you think we should get along then; instead of squabbling among each others!