How to Make a Real Impact in the Lives of Others

By Mark Altrogge

Serve in any way you can, wherever there’s a need, big or small.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:6
We all have gifts, and these gifts are varied and different. God gives his children ALL KINDS of gifts. Some gifts are public; some are done behind the scenes. Some are used when the church gathers; many are used outside church meetings. Our God is so great, so creative, so generous, so wonderful, we wouldn’t expect him to give only a few gifts. The God who created Monarch butterflies, tiger lilies, cactuses, memosa trees, hummingbirds and hammerhead sharks is lavish and overflowing and gives a multitude of varied and wonderful gifts.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:7
God’s gifts are gifts of his grace. Undeserved, free, unmerited. God gives gifts because that’s his nature. He gives every one of his children at least one gift, and usually more than one.
All our gifts are gifts of the Spirit—they’re spiritual gifts. Even gifts that seem to be natural or “unspiritual.” Many days last summer, a member of our church, Frank, would be out on a riding mower joyfully caring for the church property. He loves it. He reminds me of Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire: “When I run I feel his pleasure.” I can almost hear Frank saying, “When I mow I feel his pleasure.” And Frank doesn’t just cut the grass—he meticulously trims around each and every one of about a dozen birch trees that line the road on our church property. Frank’s gift may seem to be natural—he just loves to cut grass—but it is a gift of serving from the Holy Spirit.
So let’s use our gifts.
God gives us gifts to serve others. They’re not for ourselves. If someone has the gift of serving, it isn’t so he can serve himself. If someone has the gift of giving, it isn’t so she can go out and buy herself presents. God gives us gifts to USE to bless others.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10
Let us use our gifts to serve one another. We all have work to do. We all have a contribution to make. We are all called to serve each other. It’s not just the pastor’s job.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12
The leaders don’t do all the work—they equip the saints for the work of ministry. It is the saints who build up the body of Christ.
… from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (16)
What if I don’t know what my gift is? Just start serving wherever you can and God will make it clear. Serve wherever there’s a need. As you serve, God will make it clear. Other people will confirm it. When I was a young believer, one of my friends needed some body work done on her car. I knew nothing about body work, but she needed help, so I went to the auto parts store, bought the necessary materials and fixed the dent in her door. I just wanted to serve wherever I could. And it became clear that day that auto repair was not my gift.
Don’t limit yourself. Don’t say, well I have the gift of teaching, so I can’t serve as an usher or a greeter. I’ve had people come up to me and tell me it’s their first Sunday and they have a ministry as a teacher. My first thought is, so you have a gift of teaching? How about helping us set up chairs?
Let’s use our gifts IMMEDIATELY.
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. Matthew 25.15-16
Serve in any way you can. If you can serve in any way in the church, great. But you can use your gifts in many ways outside the church. You can give someone an encouraging word when you run into them in Walmart. You can pray for someone over coffee at the local coffee shop. You can give money to the church and the poor. You can serve in a pro-life or campus ministry. Every tiny act of service is pleasing to God. If you give someone a drink of water in Jesus’ name, you won’t lose your reward.
Sometimes life circumstances may limit us. If someone suffers from a sickness or other physical condition, God doesn’t expect them to be out washing cars. But they can pray for someone. Spurgeon’s wife, Susannah, became an invalid at age 33 and could rarely attend her husband’s services after that. She was confined to her bedroom for long periods of time, yet she encouraged her husband, raised godly children and started a fund for supplying theological books to clergymen and ministers too poor to buy them.
You have a spiritual gift. USE THAT GIFT! Serve in any way you can, wherever there’s a need, big or small. Even if it seems “mundane.” As you serve, God will make your gifts clear and he will use you to bless others.  

Mark Altrogge is the original triple threat: singer, songwriter, pastor. He has been the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, PA for over 25 years, and is the author of many well known worship songs such as “I Stand In Awe”, and “In The Presence”. When not pastoring or writing songs, Mark can be found consuming vast quantities of coffee. Unfortunately, Mark is not particularly gifted in the area of athletics. More from Mark Altrogge or visit Mark at http://www.theblazingcenter.com