The Bible tells us that God has given each of us gifts. Sometimes we can think that we’re not good at anything, that we have nothing to offer. But if God’s given each of us gifts then that can’t be true. These gifts give us a purpose and a role in God’s kingdom. We don’t all have the same gifts. For example, some people are gifted musically, others are gifted at speaking and teaching. Some people are gifted in hospitality, others are gifted in art. 1 Corinthians 12 uses the analogy of a human body to explain this. ‘A person’s body is one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also’ (v.12 NCV). If we’re being honest, we can probably all admit to times when we’ve been jealous of other people’s gifting. Maybe they can do something better than we can, or maybe their gift gets them more public attention than ours. When we’re feeling like that, it’s important to remember that all our gifts are from God and for God. It’s not about us. Using our gifts is all about glorifying Him, not ourselves. Paul goes on to say: ‘If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put all the parts, each one of them, in the body as he wanted them’ (vv.18-19 NCV). We can’t compare ourselves to other people because we’ve all been made to be unique and have different purposes to fulfil. We need to focus on discovering the gifts He has given us. Let’s celebrate how He has made us, and the fact that He has a unique purpose for us. 

What Now?

Next time you start comparing yourself to someone else, stop and pray for an opportunity to use your gifts for God’s kingdom.