Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The gifts of service appear within the body of Christ as it is given within the body by God. Note well that these gifts are not for the glory of men, not for honor of me, but both to the glory of God and the building up of His church, the bride of Christ to be all that He would have His bride to be in this life.

Just as with the natural talents, these gifts of service best serve God by remaining faithful to their calling, to their vocation, and do not seek secular success. Yet men are men and do see themselves to be messengers of God and that the message is more important than He who sent them, if God sent them at all. These services are vocationally available to anyone who would seek it. Success does not identify the gift.

Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Once again, as with the natural talent, do not look to those who serve as being anything other than servants, that the gift given might be seen in the fruits of the labor by the effectual workings of the Spirit within the body to build up and further the growth of the bride in righteousness and holiness.

Psalm 96:1-3 O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

This will be the first of three devotionals on the gifts. This one will deal with natural gifts.

The most visible of the natural gifts are those of performance. Singing and playing music is two of the more often seen within the church. Not the only ones, just the easiest to visualize. If you have witnessed performers with a talent for the art, you have probably heard the term, “God given talent”.

You might have also heard those words fall on the lips of unbelievers. They exclaim the obvious gifting of certain individuals whose talent far exceeds those of normal performance. Mozart was one example of talent who many claimed to have “God given talent” but was not a man of God in his personal life.

Then there are those who grew up in the church. Their gifts were recognized and they became the center point of worship. Soloist with a growing audience who sought fame outside the choir or the church. Many secular singers began in the choir, then left for monetary success. Once leaving the protective covering of the church, they fell to the ways of the world. This is not to say they were not saved, that is not for me to judge. This is about talent, natural gifts, not salvation.

Neither should we look to those that stay within the fold, serving a ministry within the church as a sign of salvation. Talent, the natural gifts, is like rain which falls upon the just and unjust alike. If it be that we find among ourselves those who do possess “God given talent” we should not look up to them but unto God.

Verse two tells it all in “shew forth his salvation”, the only thing that counts.