Sunday, May 29, 2022

Different Gifts, Same God

We all have different gifts. The Scriptures say so. Is any gift worth more or less? No, but they look different, and sometimes that makes us feel valued more or less. The truth is that God values, and increases all.


Paul writes that God attributes grace and faith. God's grace, after all is what saves us through faith (Eph 2:8-9). Our faith, then depends on how much God gives us (Rom 12:3). All of us have the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Our different gifts reflect that Spirit (Rom 12, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4). Because the gifts are different, the results of their use looks different.

The apportionment of gifts pertains to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Each servant got a different amount, but each servant who invested got the same return. As Stephen Armstrong (2019) shares, "Jesus’ parable on the laborers in Matthew 20:1-16 confirms equal material reward for equal faithfulness." Yes, "some believers must bear greater burdens in serving Christ (i.e., five talents)...while other believers are asked to make fewer sacrifices in serving the Lord (i.e., two talents). Nevertheless, all believers are expected to demonstrate faithfulness so as to receive an equal inheritance." What matters is not the gift, but the use of it.

It's easy to pass judgment on the service of others, but how do we know what God has given them? Maybe their gift is different. Maybe they received a different amount of the gift. Are they using it faithfully, though? Are we using are gifts faithfully? Instead of judging, let's encourage. Instead of measuring, let's manifest faithfulness. Our different gifts are meant to magnify the same God from whence they come. Our gifts are about his glory, not ours!

Reference:

Armstrong, S. (2019, April 3). Ezekiel-Lesson 44A. Verse by Verse Ministry International. https://www.versebyverseministry.org/lessons/ezekiel-44a

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