“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Rick Warren states: “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.”*

He’s onto something. For some people, death is most certainly a tragedy. For God’s people, however, it is not. As difficult as death can be, it is a gateway to the wonder and eternity of heaven!

Warren’s point is that there is a bigger tragedy than even death: a life without purpose.

If you’re a follower of Christ, you probably agree with that statement. Not only do you know how important it is to glorify God and to be the hands and feet of Christ in a hurting world, but you know how fulfilling it is. 

Something feels very right when we serve. When we help in the youth ministry, share the good news, volunteer at the hospital, sign up to be a little league coach, take our struggling neighbour to get groceries (or any number of other worthy pursuits), we are doing something meaningful.

Today I’d like to get a bit more specific.

If you’re a Christian, a part of your purpose includes using your spiritual gift(s). As far as I can tell, this is a blind spot for many Christians.

Each of us has at least one. Here are a few: Serving, Mercy, Encouragement, Leadership, Discernment of Spirits, and Healing. If this is new to you, I’ve created a 2-page summary pdf document that provides high-level definitions of 19 spiritual gifts. This accompanied a teaching series I led on this subject in 2024. If you’re interested, feel free to take a look. [Link below.]

Either way, the intent of this devotional is simply to get you thinking about it. In his grace, God has given us gifts to “serve others.” This is a part of our purpose.

If you are aware of your gift(s) and using them, that’s amazing. If not, perhaps giving this some thought is something to put on your to-do list. It might be an untapped area of growth and servanthood in your life.

“The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.” One of the ways we live a life of satisfying purpose, is to use the spiritual gifts which God has given to us.

Notes and extra content:

-“Spiritual Gift 2-Page Summary.” Click here.

-“You are a house of prayer.” Sermon on Mark 10:46-11:33. Click here. March 23, 2025.

-*Rick Warren, What On Earth Am I Here For? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 21.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.