Daily Radio Program with Charles Stanley - In Touch Ministries - The Gift of Service

Episode Date: September 18, 2026

Learn how the body of Christ benefits from those with the gift of service.Donate: https://store.intouch.org/donate/generalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, September 18th. Good help is highly valued. Today, we'll see how God has already met that need in the church by giving some believers the gift of service. Discover what this gift looks like as our series continues. When you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you receive a very special, unique gift. This gift was for the purpose of enabling you to become the person God wants you to be. do the things that God wants you to do. It was a gift that was fitted and suited for you and God's purpose for your life. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives those gifts. And at salvation, I believe that's when that gift is bestowed upon us.

That gift is not given for the purpose of making us happy. It is given for the purpose of making it possible for us to be productive and fruitful for the kingdom of God. And for example, in 1 Peter chapter 4, listen to what he says in this fourth chapter, very significant passage of scripture. Listen, if you will. He says in verse 10, as each one has received a special gift employed in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, the many various ways in which God blesses us. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterance of God. whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified. And he says, through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Now, God has equipped you with a gift that suits and fits his purpose for your life. There's no such thing as a giftless child of God. And so as you listen to this, I want to encourage you to examine your own heart. Ask us up the question, do these things sound like me, the way I feel in my relationships?

Because when you discover what your spiritual gift is or whether you do not discover it, the knowledge of it or absence of it affects all of your relationships, people you work with, your children, your husband, your wife, your friends, because we all have one of those gifts that, listen, that determine how we respond, react, relate, accomplish, achieve, or fail to do so in our life. So today the gift is the gift of service. Now, many people say, well, you know, I don't like this gift of service. I want somebody serving me. Wait till you listen to this.

Wait till you listen. Or somebody says, well, I can tell you right now what I want. I want the gift of giving. Wait till you hear that one. And so you can't say, I want this or that, first of all, doesn't do any good. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians chapter 12, the Spirit of God gives the gifts to whomsoever he will. So the Spirit of God who came into your life the moment you were saved, who enabled you to become saved, and who equips you is the one who's made that determination because God knows exactly what he wants to accomplish in your life.

So listen carefully to each of these characteristics. Then we'll talk about how you act when you are living in the spirit with this particular gift and how you act when you act when you get in the flesh. Are you ready to say amen? All right, here we go. And the first characteristic, when you think about this particular gift of service, and you're probably thinking, well, I already know what these characters say. I know what a person who serves does, does and so. Listen carefully.

One of the first characteristics that I want to notice is this, and that is a person who has the gift of service, is a person who sees, listen, who sees practical needs. And usually, if a person has this gift, they see them first. in a group of people who have different gifts, the person of the gift of service, somehow they have this amazing ability to see that particular need first. And oftentimes, as a result of that, they're the first one to step forward. It's the kind of person who cannot sit back.

They can't sit back and let needs go on when they see it. Secondly, a person has a gift of service loves freeing other people to achieve. Because you see, a person with the gift of service, they're delighted in seeing. you succeed. They're delighted in helping. They're delighting in becoming a part of your life. They are delighted in being able to feel useful for someone else. And when they see a person who is maybe very important in their eyes or a person who has a very important task, if they can help you accomplish your task, they are greatly delighted in that. And the person who has the gift of service and who practice is that they, listen, they are following one of the basic principles of success.

Give yourself a way and help other people succeed, and you in turn will have great success. God will honor you in whatever He's called you to do in life, no matter what it is, whether it's becoming a great mother, a great wife, a great husband, or whatever it might be, God is going to be at work in your life. And so, you see, to cause a person not to be able to do that is to stifle their spirit. That's the thing that God's placed in them, this desire to be of service to other people. Thirdly, there is a disregard for any weariness on their part, and the person with the gift of service, oftentimes they just work and work and work and work, but the gift of service, you know what,

they don't quit. You get a little tired, they don't just fold their hands and lie down. But they just keep on going even after they're weary, even after they're tired. When everybody else decides to sit down and take a break, the gift of service is going to keep on working. Why? Because they take great delight in accomplishing and achieving and fulfilling a need. in someone else's life, whatever that may be. Now, sometimes we do get physically tired. Now, watch this. Not tired of doing what God's call us to do, but we become weary in the process of

doing it. And the gift of service is the last one to sit down, the last one to lie down. A fourth characteristic, they have difficulty in saying no. And you say, well, why do I feel the way? Because that's the way God spiritually wired you. That is your unique gift. You just, you just, just can't stand to see needs go unmet. And so as a result of that, when somebody says, it can't be done, you know what? You don't argue with them. You just show them it can be. Because, you see, that's the way God made you. He made you, listen, he gave you a unique gift in order to serve one another. And think about how self-centered so many people are. They just want to live for themselves. Me, myself, and I are my three favorite friends. And the truth is,

he says he has gifted you in order to give your life away to other people and to serve them. So difficult to saying no. Then, of course, alert to likes and dislikes. It's amazing how the person with a gift of service, they have this amazing way to remember. They remember, for example, the foods you like. They remember the restaurants you like to go to and don't like to go to. They remember what your hobby is. They remember maybe your favorite color.

They remember the things, the experiences you like. In other words, they can remember lots of things. You know why? It's not because they make up their mind to do so. It's just the fact that it's just a natural bent in them. When they remember these things, that gives them the opportunity to serve. So when your birthday comes around, they don't forget it. When they have an opportunity, for example, to serve you in some fashion because of something they remember,

they take great delight in doing that. And so they use these on special occasions. Another one is this. And that is a strong design. to be with other people. The person who has the gift of service is not a loner. Now here's the reason. It's not that they don't have time of private meditation with God. It's just the fact they're not loners. They'd like to be with people. Now, what is it? Why is it they'd like to be with people? Because being with people, listen, allows them and affords them the opportunities

of serving these people. So a person who is a loner, what they do oftentimes, they back off out of life and they just deny people the opportunity to be a friend, the opportunity to serve them in some fashion. A person with a gift of service, listen, they like being with people because they're alert to ways to help to fulfill those practical needs. And so, you know, they're delighted in that. And here other people, for example, they're not serving somebody else or whatever it might be. Mr. or Mrs. Service, they're right in there. They're very hospitable in every way because that's where they get their greatest sense of full. fulfillment, giving themselves a way to meet the needs of other people, which is a very, very

godly attitude. Then, of course, they need approval and recognition. Now, here's the reason they do. A person with a gift of service needs recognition and approval. You say, well, now, if you have the gift of service, you shouldn't need it. Wait a minute. Watch this. The reason is this.

The appreciation and gratitude and thanksgiving and recognition that we show the person of the gift of service. what it does for them. It doesn't inflate their ego. What it does, it reconfirms that what they're doing for you is important. The fact that you thank them, the fact that you show appreciation, the fact that you say, you know, I noticed that even before I could think about this, you'd already done it. I want to thank you for being so thoughtful. What that does, it says to the person of the gift of service, not, yes, my ego being fed. It says, I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful that you said that because that lets me know that what I'm doing is very, very important in your life.

Now, I can think of some people that I'm surrounded with with a gift of service, and I can tell you, I can name two or three who are just perfect examples of what I'm thinking about, and especially one who's always thinking ahead for me, always thinking ahead. No matter what's going on, I'm thinking, how did you know I was thinking about that? because they know me well enough and have watched me enough, been with me enough, that they're always thinking ahead, looking for ways to do what? Looking for ways to alleviate me from little things and circumstances and projects or whatever it might be that free my time.

For example, let me give you an example. A person who has a gift of service, you tell them something can't be done. I remember when I was building my house, for example, that, the man was shalacking or varnishing, whatever he's doing, and see how little I know about that, the mantle. And there was a big spot right smack dab in the middle of it, big as my thumb. And I said, what about that? He said, well, somebody dropped something on this,

and this, he gave me all these reasons that it can't be fixed. So my friend who has the gift of service walked in, he saw that. And I said, you know, the painter said, that couldn't be done. He said, well, let just let me take care of that. I walked in the next day, can't see a thing. Absolutely perfect. Gone. One person has a reason why it can't be done.

Mr. or Mrs. Service gives you a reason why it can be done, and if at all possible, they will get it done. Now, I'm simply saying this. Whenever you and I get too important, and we get so important, we can't live on the level and sit on the level and stand on the level and walk on the level that everybody else does, we have a problem. And our problem is pride, and God will not honor pride

under any condition. In fact, tell me what you and I are so important, we can't get in the dirt, and we can't do whatever is necessary to help someone else. The gift of service doesn't even have that problem. They can't wait to find some reason to help someone in some fashion or the other. And so while they need approval and appreciation, all the rest, you know, God is working something awesome in their life. Then, of course, there's a whole issue of liking. They like short-range projects. Now, if you want to frustrate the gift of service, say, well, now, I have this, it's going to take us a year to get this done, la-da-da-da-da-da-done. You know what? Mr. or Mrs.'s gift of service says, oh, my goodness, a year or five years or you give them a 10-year

project, forget it. But you know something? You give them a short-range project. Let them go. Let them do it. Be sure to give them clear instructions, but let them do the job. Short-range projects. And here's the reason. It isn't because they think the project's not important. What's important to that person is this way they're wired spiritually, and that is they want to see progress. They want to see progress now, tomorrow. In other words, they want to see progress being made. The truth is, all of us do.

But service, they have to see progress. Does that mean they can't participate in a long-term thing? No, it means this. The way they look at a long-term project, they chop it up in small pieces. I get this done. I'll get that done. I'll get this done, that done, this done, that day. It may be a year, it may be two years, but while they get that glimpse, then they have to

come back to think, all right, short term, if I can get this done in two or three weeks or that done in two or three weeks, they have to see progress. And in the process of doing so, they're the kind of people who accomplish great long-range task, but they have to break it down in small sections so they can see the progress being made. then of course for example there's this whole issue of meeting needs quickly in other words you give a person who has the gift of service they're not going to say well a couple of weeks i'll get to that if it's a need a practical need they go into work and they want to get it done

as quickly as possible i have seen this over and over and over again with the people i know who have the gift of service you don't have to wait on them they don't sit around and tell you the reasons it can't be done. And they don't give you some excuse for going to get it done one of these days. That's the kind of person who steps up to the plate and says, okay, I see this need, I understand what I'm supposed to do. They want to do it quickly. The worst thing you can do with a gift of service is put them on some committee, especially some committee where everybody has to express their personal opinion and desires and dislikes, and where somebody wants to be impressed that they ought to have the final answer. And the person who thinks, well, they know more about

that than somebody else. You put them on that kind of committee with red tape and you know what you do? You destroy them. They can't handle that. If this is the job and this is the direction, let's get it done. Let's don't even consider why we can't do it. Let's consider, listen, not only can we do it, but how quickly can we get it done. Now, here's what I want you remember. Because you have the gift of service does not mean that there's some areas you can't serve it. You can have the gift of service and be the president. You can have the gift of service and be, for example, a mother in the home. You can have the gift of service and be an attorney.

You can have the gift of service and work in an office as a secretary. It doesn't make any difference. God uses your gift wherever he places you. And so therefore, here's what happens. You operate best in whatever vocation you're in. You operate best when you operate out of your gift. And if your gift is service, you know what's going to happen? You're going to motivate other people.

You're going to encourage them when they see your activity and what you're willing to do and your capacity and you get and make it happen. They may be more intelligent than you are in their mind. They may have more gifts, more education, all the rest, but you know what? I'd rather have an uneducated person who is in love with Jesus Christ as a gift of service and knows, no no no butts, no excuses. Put them to work and see who gets the most done. Because that person when they're walking in the spirit, they understand, they understand the source of their strength. strength. The source of their strength is God. Now watch this carefully. You listen and say amen. Whatever God called you to do, he's going to enable you to do. However much strength it requires,

God's going to give it. And so when a person says, well, you know what, I just don't think I can, I just don't think I can do it. I'm too tired. Listen to what he says. He says, in this passage, it is the strength of God. The person has a gift of service is going to be working. and listen, out of the strength of gut. Listen, because when they don't, and they get in the flesh, they don't have any more energy than anybody else does. You mark this down. Walking out of the spirit, mark it down.

When you are out of the spirit, there is an energy drain in your life. I guarantee it's an energy drain in your life. When you're out of the spirit, it takes more energy to do whatever you're doing. When you are living with known sin and, your life, it's an energy drain. You know why? Because your mind is divided. You say, oh, my mind's not divided. Yes, it is. Your mind is divided when you're living in sin. When you're living in known

disobedience to God, and you know it, there's an energy drain. Because listen, here's what you don't have. You do not have the divine energy of the living God. All you have is physical human strength. And I'll tell you, it's going to give out. And proof is, you know what I'm happens to people that gives out, they go to the drug, alcohol or something to prick them up so they can do it. The person with the gift of service knows it is only in the power and the strength of the living God that we can do what we're called to do. And once you get into sin and you depend on anything else but the power of God, sooner or later you become an addict, sooner or later you fall, sooner or later you fail, Sooner later, you get so discouraged, and what happens is you end up stepping out of the will of God

and you waste and ruin your life. You don't want to live that kind of life. You want to be fruitful for the kingdom of God. Nobody may ever know your name, he does. No one may ever see your faithfulness. He sees it. No one may ever know your works. He's counted every single one of them.

And one of these days, what really matters will matter. and will work. The Lord Jesus Christ will reward you. He will reward you not with the world's applause, but with the recognition and the rewards of the Son of God. Thank you for listening to The Gift of Service. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.