The Gifts of God

Everybody has a gift! Sometimes they're hard to discern, almost hidden. Sometimes they are not obvious, but for a fact, everybody has a gift. Some have more than one. Everybody's duty is to recognize and develop, improve upon and use that gift for the benefit of themselves, their family and the world. If a gift is given from the divine being that we call God, then that gift is a divine gift, a spiritual gift.

Scriptures tell us that everything was created spiritually before it was created physically. That goes for our divine gifts as well.

I propose that there are many gifts that you do not recognize as either spiritual or as coming from God. Those gifts and their possibilities are endless in number and infinite in variety.

Joseph Smith once said, "We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth." That is a beginning list of spiritual gifts. That's the list that most people think of when they think of gifts from God. There is a lot larger list, a very much more comprehensive list, that I would like for you to think about.

Gifts come quietly and privately, almost sneaking up on a person. To what purpose do we receive gifts? Some purposes and gifts are described in the Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 12: 1-22; Doctrine and Covenants 46: 11-33 Moroni 10: 8-18

Here's a beginning list of gifts for you to think about and consider...
the gift of birth, is death a gift? The gift to sow, to grow things, the gift to reap or to gather, the gift of humor when appropriate, the gift of a clean countenance, disposition and manners, to gift to sympathize and to morn, the gifts of dance, the gifts of sewing, the gift of invention, the gift of learning and knowledge and of great wisdom, the gifts of talking and speaking -- orating and preaching -- and the knowledge of when to be quiet, went to think and ponder, to study, to know the difference between good and evil and act as appropriate, the gift and ability to enjoy life, to build and construct the gift of great faith, the ability to know truth.

Further gifts...
Your mind, to be able to help others, to be able to rule and govern, to speak many languages, to interpret tongues, to be able to pass judgment correctly, to have foresight -- revelation and prophecy, the ability to serve, the ability to believe -- and spirits, profits, and miracles, in Scriptures, to be able to listen to angels, the gift to know that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he was crucified and resurrected for us and still lives.

And still, more gifts...
the gifts to understand the plan of life and salvation, to have the faith to be healed, the ability to ask, the ability to receive, to listen, to hear, to use the still small voice, to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the ability to avoid contention and nagging, to be agreeable, the gift to seek that which is right in righteous, the gift to be able to pray and listen, the ability to have a good vocabulary, the gift to be calm and untroubled, the gift of empathy, the ability to give comfort, the ability to grieve with others, the gifts you have the tongue of Angels -- calm, level, not profane, the gift of a chaste mind and body, the ability to treat yourself as a temple and child of God, and the greatest gift of all -- the gift of salvation and eternal life.

You may possibly think of other gifts -- they are endless and countless and a great variety. They could be gifts, or talents or abilities. As you study and ponder the lists I have made for you to think about, what gifts do you have and what gifts can you still develop? Think of yourself as a child of Heavenly Father. Think to yourself that I can possibly develop most of the attributes in this list of gifts. I can become much more like God. That's not such a bad thought, or hard thought. We are here to grow and develop in this life is but a beginning. Think about it. Dream about it. Do something about it.

DADDY

My kids, many years ago, gave me a T-shirt that had a message on the front – "anybody can be a father. It takes somebody special to be a daddy."
So, what’s a father? And what makes me, or you men, a daddy? Would you say perhaps that a father is biological? And that a daddy is spiritual, and biological?

As you know, in the Scriptures, Jesus during his earthly ministry, said that he could do nothing unless it was " of the Father", His Father. He said he did nothing except it was commanded by his father. In other words, his work was His Father's work. Jesus respected and honored, and obeyed His Father's wishes. But still, there was a time when he asked for more help -- remember that time in the garden. On that most burdensome moment of all human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought--His Father. "Abba," He cried, "Papa," or from the lips of a younger child, "Daddy!."
I don't want to sound sacrilegious or blasphemous, but Jesus had a daddy -- a biological and spiritual father -- Who watched as His Son suffered and ultimately died -- suffering far greater than any of us can imagine. In a smaller way, on a much smaller scale, we fathers have to watch our children's travails and suffering, with anguish of our own. There is a difference, however, Jesus suffered for us -- rescued us -- if we fulfill our part of the covenant -- obedience, repentance, hard work and success. All we fathers can do is hope that when one of our youngsters calls "daddy" we can help in some small way. We'll still be daddy and we will help where and when we can.