Thursday, April 19, 2012

BE CONTENTED WITH YOUR GIFTS


“The Bible says every saint has been given gifts to benefit the body of Christ.

Here is a word to you who think your gifts are inferior to those of other members of the body: Be content with your condition. Great gifts lift a saint up a little higher in the eyes of men, but they also tempt him to pride. Do not envy those with great gifts; instead, pity and pray for them. It is hard for them to escape the error of supposing that God's grace in them is their own doing. You have a real advantage over them, for you have the help of their gifts but not the temptation of their pride.
Here, now, are some words of caution for you to whom God has given more or better gifts than ordinary.
Pride wants to grow where the best gifts have been bestowed. So beware of pride! The only thing that will keep you from it is your humility. Remember to whom you wrestle with-- spiritual wickednesses. Their ploy is to lift you up high in order to give you a harder fall. They will try to convince you that your spiritual accomplishments are a result of your own efforts and that you deserve the credit for them. Surely you know this is not true! In case you have forgotten, think back to what you were like before the Holy Spirit came to you with gifts from God's storehouse. How can you be proud of another's bounty? You may be able to impress other men with your gifts, but you will not impress God. He knows where they all came from.
Where pride flourishes, the body of Christ suffers. Had God given you gifts merely for your own pleasure or edification, the sin of pride would not be quite so bad. But when you use your gifts to lift yourself up, you tear down the body of Christ. Your gifts are necessary to the health of the whole body, but they must be administered properly. You must be careful to acknowledge that Christ is the Great Physician; you are only the assistant who uses His instruments and carries out His orders.”

Some confuse giftedness with maturity, authority or wisdom. Each of these interconnects with our gifts but do not simply come as a result of our gifts. It is important that each of us understands this and not fall into the lie that those most gifted are more favored, or wise, have more authority or are automatically more mature. In so doing we will help them not to fall short of God’s plans for them and also help us not to follow their gifts instead of the Lord who gives them.

Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617

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