- Gifts, talents, and abilities:
The
second integral part of God’s grace is His gifts, talents and abilities which
He bestowed on humanity without his or her input. It is through the grace of
God who is Jesus Christ, God's gift to man that we have been endowed with
gifts, talents and abilities that are unique to each individual, for to each
one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. And
according to John the Baptist, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been
given to him from heaven” (Ephesians 4:7; John 3:27).
Therefore,
we are to learn not to think beyond what is written that none of us may be
puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For it is written; “For who makes
you differs from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if
one did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1
Corinthians 4:6-7).
Therefore,
we have been duly admonished by the apostle Paul saying; “For I say, through
the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to
each one a measure of faith.
For
as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same
function so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of
one another.
Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use
them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let
us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in
exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he
who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:3-8).
We
are to use this aspect of God’s grace to honor and glorify Him, and minister
them to others for the benefit and common good of all. For we have been duly
admonished saying; “Each one should use whatever gift he/she has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one
speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus
Christ.”
We
have been instructed saying; “There are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for
to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of
knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles,
to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different
kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the
same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He
wills” (1Peter 4:10; 1Corinthians 12:4-7).
And
so the admonition is, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that
is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy let us prophesy in proportion to
our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in
teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who
leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8).
So the question is, are we using this aspect of God's grace in the way it was intended! Or have we received it in vain?
To be continued
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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