The Gift of Leadership

Primary text: Romans 12:8

The gift of Leadership is the ability to influence others according to a “big picture” purpose, mission or plan.  Its purpose is to direct and enhance the service of others in building up God’s Kingdom in a constructive way to completes or accomplishes God’s purposes and achieves the common good of the Body.

As you might expect, there are some cautions that go along with this gift, cautions that require little explanation: First, a prideful attitude and a tendency to look down upon people who aren’t leaders. Of course the potential to misuse power, or to use people to accomplish personal objectives rather than God’s objectives are caution areas, and finally the potential for feeling superior to those with helping gifts is a caution point.

A person with this gift will be someone who usually seems to have a significant amount of influence on people, who is often asked to lead things, who is normally able to see the “big picture” easily and naturally. He or she will generally be someone for whom decision making comes naturally, and who is often asked for their opinion. They want to make a difference, to “change the world” and are not afraid to take risks, and of course they are people who speak with confidence and conviction.

The gift of Hospitality

Primary text: 1 Peter 4:9-10

The gift of Hospitality is the ability to make people feel “at home”, welcome, cared for and part of the group. There is a difference between being “hospitable” and the gift of Hospitality.  People who are hospitable will rush around and clean their house, keeping it spic and span and be nervous about the condition of things the whole time you are there because they want everything to be just right.  People who have the gift of hospitality don’t worry about that; they just want you to come in, kick your shoes off and be part of the family.  People who are hospitable may throw a party, but they will pick who comes.  People who have Hospitality will throw a party and invite everyone; anybody is welcome.

The purpose of the gift is to create an inviting atmosphere to encourage people to be themselves, to feel like a valued part of the body, and to nurture Christian fellowship to a deeper level. Of course, like all of the gifts, there are some caution areas: A person with this gift might tend to over-commit themselves and overlook those closest to them. They might also develop a kind of self-pity if they are the only ones serving in this way, and they run into real problems is they come to see their service as merely “entertaining” for they will lose sight of God’s purpose in giving them their gift.

A person who has this gift will find that new people feel very comfortable around them, and tend to migrate toward them. They have no problem giving without expecting anything in return, and gain real joy from making people feel at home and cared for. Yep, they love a party, but they enjoy giving one even more, and are eager to open their homes to others.

For personally, I’m always struck by the contrast between leadership, which is a gift I have, and hospitality, which is one I wish I had!