How do we determine the monetary value of our personal skills and gifts?

And what are they worth to other Christians?

This is a really practical question for a lot of you, applicable to anyone in a local church

who has a skill set or a gifting that benefits others.

Today's question comes particularly from a listener in Los Angeles who writes this,

Peasha John Hello and thank you for the APJ podcast. My question is a reoccurring heart issue for my life.

I am a graphic designer.

I'm trying to live out my gift according to 1st Peter 410,

as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

How can I obey this verse without feeling resentment and bitterness towards people,

Christians and non-Christians, who mainly contact me because I have a skill that can fulfill their need,

but who use my skills and never pay me for them?

I often feel used and deemed worthy of quote-unquote friendship by what I can do, not who I am.

My assumption is that if I did not possess this graphic design gift, these people would never contact me.

How do we think about the value of skills that are God-given and about the right of making a little bit of money

from these God-given gifts to make a living? Pass it on, what would you say?

That's a really good question that many Christians need to think about because I have seen professionals in the church

misused when people unthinkingly, I think it's usually unthinkingly,

take advantage of the church family connections to get services that most people are paying for to get them free.

Like a doctor, a lawyer, or a plumber, or carpenter, or a designer,

and people just ask them to do little jobs or little consultations, say in the evening or after church.

That's their gift without even thinking how this may be unbiblical by mooching or exploiting,

...