Take a few minutes today and go people watch! Just go someplace, look around, and take some notes as to what you see. Pick 5-10 people and keep a list of who they are, what they are wearing, and depending on where you chose to go, if they purchased anything. Here is what I think you will find... you will see people of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Each person looks different. Each person has a different gait to their walk. If you’re close enough to hear them, each has a different tone and inflection in their voice.
As we look at our text today from 1 Corinthians 12, I get a sense that Paul’s message was essentially the same. We have a level of giftedness attributed to us through the work of the Spirit of 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.” (12:4-6, NLT) The cool thing about God gifting us is that each of us have been given different gifts and levels of giftedness.
As Paul continues to talk about our giftedness, he points to the reason why we have different gifts in verse 7. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” God in his wisdom never meant for us to be like everyone else. Nor did he intend for us to compare ourselves to anyone else because of we might think their gifts are better than ours. When we compare ourselves to others, we actually do a disservice to the wonderful grace of gifts God has given us. When we don’t use the gifts that God has given us, we do a disservice to our fellow believers as the Spirit works within in all of us.
Today as you finish your little experiment of people watching, finish with this little exercise. Begin to do an inventory of yourself. How has God gifted me? How can I use my gifts to His glory? How can I serve others with the gifts I have been given? You never know... someone might serve you today with their gifts.
Be blessed and be a blessing!
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.