Spiritual Gift of Service in the Marketplace
The spiritual gift of service is the special ability to spread the awareness of God’s glory by performing supportive tasks with great joy, eagerness, and effectiveness.
Spiritual Gift Recognition Statements
- “I am eager to help even when others are not.”
- “I enjoy doing the tasks my leaders don’t have time to do.”
- “People around me know they can count on me to help out.”
Marketplace Impact
In his classic book, Business by the Book, Larry Burkett told the story of Will, the owner of a large manufacturing company who displayed a supernatural level of service toward a staff member who betrayed him. Although Will had invested five years of time and resources grooming his plant manager to become the next president of the company, the plant manager submitted his resignation one day without any explanation.
When Will asked the plant manager, John, to stay only long enough for the company to find a replacement, John refused.
Nevertheless, Will forgave John and prayed for him regularly. Will hosted a going away party for John and provided a substantial severance bonus.
Three months later, John opened his own company and copied Will’s best-selling product. Soon, John’s company had become one of Will’s largest competitors.
Nine years later, Will learned that there had been a design problem with one of John’s new products and that he was facing several lawsuits as a result.
With a forgiving, servant’s heart, Will bought one of John’s products, tested it, pinpointed the problem, and commissioned his engineers to find the solution. Once the solution had been determined, Will called John to explain how he could fix the problem to satisfy his customers.[i] Indeed, he went the “extra mile” in his service to John.
Biblical Insights
- Mark 15:40-41
- Acts 6:1-7; 9:36
- Romans 12:7; 16:1-2
- 1 Corinthians 12:28
- Galatians 6:10
- 1 Timothy 1:16-18
- Titus 3:14
[i] Larry Burkett, Business by the Book (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 4.
Discussion: Do you have the spiritual gift of service? If so, please share how you use this spiritual gift in a business setting. Can you think of any other marketplace Christians who use this spiritual gift in a business setting? If so, please share his/her story to encourage other marketplace Christians who have this spiritual gift.
