Different Gifts - Same God

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT) While gazing fondly at all the kids in Children's Church this Sunday, the teacher realized she had about 20 of them in the group today, ages ranging from 3-8 years old. She loved children but had none of her own and had spent her lifetime reaching out to them both at church and in her profession of teaching. They had listened with rapt attention to the lesson for today as she told the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. They sat now in virtual silence totally absorbed in the assignment of coloring their own beautiful coats with the stencil and crayons she provided to them. Because of their silence, she could hear clearly in the distance the morning service in the sanctuary. A soloist began to sing a rendition of "How Great Thou Art." The voice of the singer was so beautiful it brought chills to the teacher's spine. The teacher had never been able to even hold a note but had always wanted to sing. Maybe if she gave up Children's Church and joined the choir . . . Have you ever wondered why some people are just so good at some things and not so good at others? God has equipped each of us with gifts that are designed to complement each other. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) by our Creator to serve His purposes and His Spirit guides us into using the gifts He has blessed us to receive. We may become pretty good at trying to do other things, but we can only be great doing what God created us to do. And He created each of us to do something great while helping each other. In my story above, the teacher had 20 kids sitting quietly during a Sunday morning church service. That, my friends, takes a gift from God! Yet, she still yearned to sing which was something she had never been good at doing. While the soloist was using their gift to sing in the main assembly, the teacher's gift of being able to keep those children quietly busy was also necessary for the song to be heard without disruption to the entire church. Being designed by the Most High God means we cannot recreate ourselves. We just have to accept that the gift is already in us and trust in God's Spirit as He helps us to use it. One way to know what God has given us as our own unique gift is by recognizing how our special gift is helping others. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.