What’s something in life you’ve done—or felt compelled to do—but didn’t feel qualified for? Maybe it was offering advice to a struggling friend, stepping into a leadership role, or tackling a challenge that seemed far beyond your abilities. What excuses did you make to dodge it? “I’m not talented enough.” “Someone else is better suited.” “I don’t have the gifts for this.” If you’ve ever felt inadequate or caught yourself envying the strengths you see in others, you’re in good company—we’ve all been there. But here’s a perspective shift: when we convince ourselves God should pick someone else for His purposes, we’re not just doubting ourselves; we’re questioning His wisdom. That false humility doesn’t give God the credit He’s due. Through the Holy Spirit, He equips each of us with unique spiritual gifts to fulfill His mission in ways only we can.

Take Galatians 5:22-23, for instance—the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are beautiful, tangible signs of God’s grace at work in us. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop there. He also bestows gifts—abilities like wise counsel, special knowledge, unwavering faith, or even healing. The Bible ties these gifts to the concept of grace, that unearned, undeserved favor from God. Think about it: when you give someone a gift, it’s not because they’ve earned it like a wage. You give it out of love, for no other reason than to bless them. That’s grace in action. Spiritual gifts are the same—tangible expressions of God’s goodness, handed to us not because we’re prodigies or celebrities, but because He loves us and wants us to join in His work.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7). To one person, the Spirit might give the ability to offer wise advice; to another, a message of deep insight; to someone else, extraordinary faith or the power to heal. Each gift reflects God’s grace—His kindness and power flowing through us. But these gifts aren’t for boasting or competing over who’s the most talented. They’re not trophies to possess. God doesn’t need us to do anything—He’s God, after all. Instead, He equips us so we can share in the joy of His mercy, serving others and embodying His presence together. As Paul goes on to explain, we each play a unique role in Christ’s body, the church. We’re not gifted to shine individually but to function as a unified whole, revealing Him through our collective life.

And that brings us to an even deeper truth: our union with Christ. Scripture says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). Everything God the Father wanted humanity to be, He placed in Christ Jesus—and then, through His death, burial, and resurrection, He drew us into oneness with Him. Jesus Himself promised, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). In that moment on the cross, God judged the old, broken version of us, crucifying it with Christ (Galatians 2:20). That old self is gone—dead and buried—and we’ve been reborn as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). As 1 John 4:17 puts it, “As He is, so also are we in this world.” Whatever Jesus is—holy, righteous, anointed—we are too, in our new, inward man.

Jesus said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). He’s the Source, and we draw everything from Him. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me,” Paul declares in Galatians 2:20, “and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The Anointed One, with all the ability of God, dwells in us—just as He did in Jesus of Nazareth. We’re not just individuals with gifts; we’re the living body of Christ. “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually,” Paul writes (1 Corinthians 12:27), and “we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30). We are the flesh and bone of Christ in the earth—right now—representing Him as He continues to reveal Himself through us, both as a corporate church and as individual members of His body.

This isn’t abstract theology; it’s our reality. “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). We’re God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus was the prototype, the firstborn of this new creation (Romans 8:29), and we’ve been shaped in His image. Everything God wants you to be, He’s already made you in Christ. Your gifts—whether they’re bold or quiet, seen or unseen—are part of that design, equipping you to bear fruit and reflect Him.

So, what does this mean for us? It means we don’t need to be famous, talented, or “qualified” by the world’s standards. The same Spirit who gifted men and women throughout history lives in you. You’re part of His body, filled with His Spirit, and entrusted with incredible gifts—not for your glory, but for His. Every act of service, every word of wisdom, every step of faith is Christ revealing Himself through you. You’re His flesh and bone in this world, carrying His presence wherever you go. That’s who you are. That’s who we are together. And that’s a truth worth living out every single day.