1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT), “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
Over the past few blogs I’ve talked about how special you are to God. You are His masterpiece and He gave each of you special gifts. These special gifts were given to you to help others. Your gifts may be different than the gifts placed in others you know. God wants each of you to use the gifts He’s placed inside of you according to the plan He has for your life. Because of the uniqueness of our gifts God is able to use us in so many different ways to help so many people. Our combined gifts, when utilized, make a huge positive difference in our world. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT) says, “Give thanks to the lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.”
I look at someone like Steph Curry, basketball player for the Golden State Warriors and I’m in awe of his talent. He is the reigning NBA MVP and one one of the most popular players in the league. He has a God-given ability to play basketball at a very high level. He was able to build upon that talent and maximize the gift he was blessed with. Some may look at this and say, well it’s only playing basketball is that really a gift God would use to reach others. The answer to that is God can utilize any gift He has given you to reach others in this world. Steph Curry is using His fame as a stage to proclaim his belief, faith and love for God and because of that He is drawing many closer to God.
This is one example of why you should never look down on the gifts that have been placed inside of others. You doubt the gifts of others because it’s not what you have placed inside of you or it’s not something familiar to you. Sometimes it is jealousy causing us to react negatively to how someone else is utilizing their gifts. Whatever the reason, too often instead of supporting each other, we are looking for ways to find fault or bring them down.
God has no limits to what He can do and you shouldn’t place limits on how He can use people to reach others. But that is exactly what you do when you judge the way someone else is using their gifts. Only that person knows the plan God has placed in their hearts so we are in no position to judge that. That is not God working in you when you do that. You are acting totally opposite of God and how He wants you to live.
If you see someone out there utilizing their gifts for good and blessing others we should celebrate them. Even if it’s not something you would do that’s okay, just because you don’t understand it that doesn’t mean it’s not from God. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:4 (NLT), “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.” If we all had the same gifts and abilities it would limit God’s reach to others. Our almighty God knows that and therefore spreads his vast amount of gifts through us all. So celebrate the gifts of others and realize when each of you is utilizing your unique gifts according to the plan God has for you, we all win!
Truth in Love! ~ Chuck