4 And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.
(Moroni 3:4)
A gift is something of value which is received without being earned. When it appears in the New Testament, it is a translation of the Greek word χάρισμα (“charisma”), which means a result or manifestation of grace, a divine favor (Strong’s Concordance on biblehub.org). Also, every gift has a giver. Gifts don’t spontaneously appear.
A calling is an invitation to act. Not very invitation is accepted and acted upon. It is up to us to decide how we will respond to the invitations we receive. Elder Ronald A. Rasband has encouraged us to become “spiritual first responders” by acting immediately when God inspires us to serve someone (“Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” General Conference, April 2017). Like gifts, callings come from someone. If you are called, then someone has called you.
In the passage above, Moroni tells us that people who receive priesthood authority are ordained “according to the gifts and callings of God unto men.” These gifts and callings are individualized. “For all have not every gift given unto them” (D&C 46:11). When we accept a new assignment in the Church, hands are laid on our head, and we are given a priesthood blessing. During that blessing, we receive gifts–capabilities which will help us in our new assignment–and callings–invitations to take specific actions in our new role.
Today, I will be grateful that God has given me both gifts and callings. He has invited me to act on behalf of other people–His children. And he has provided me with unearned capabilities which I can use to fulfill those invitations. I will choose to accept and act upon the callings I have received from Him, and I will use the gifts I have been given to bless His children.