Diversities of Gifts

1Co 12:4-11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Our fingerprint, our teeth, our ears, our irises, our hand print and our footprint… Each is as unique as a snowflake. Each can identify us as an individual unlike any other person. We are designed by God as a unique creature with unique characteristics. Our physical characteristics are a visible indication of our spiritual uniqueness. Our personalities and capabilities are as unique as our physical characteristics. We have a place and a purpose in the universe that is suited just to us. It is no accident that we are specially designed in so many ways. God created each of us with a higher purpose for which we are uniquely suited. Sure others could do the job we have been designed to do, but we are a perfect fit for the purpose God created us to fulfill (1Co 12:18). We have a destiny in the sense that God created us with a particular job in mind with the hope that we would make the choices during our life to grow into it (1Co 12:28). In general our profession is to share what we know with others so that they too can learn the purpose that God has designed for them. But we each get to play a particular role in that process. Not all will be able to do the same things equally well or with the same spirit. Each soul will be touched by many other people on God’s behalf. Each of those people will play a different role in bringing that person up in the knowledge and understanding of God and their own purpose (1Co 12:20).

We may wonder what our purpose is and wonder how we find it. We think about our hopes and dreams, the things we would like to accomplish in our life. These include our bucket list items and our professional, personal and spiritual aspirations. God also had great hope when he created us. We may not think about it much from his perspective, but he is our father. Like any parent with a newborn child he desires the best for us, but not only that, he has created us in hope. We have a destination for which we are perfectly suited that will be pleasing to us, to God and also to those who are touched by the uniqueness of our soul (1Co 12:31).

We may have a lot of admiration for the gifts that someone else has, the way they explain the scriptures, the stories they tell, the tenderness we feel from them, or the way they can seemingly make everything seem okay. We can wish to have those same abilities (1Co 12:15). We may find ourselves lacking in comparison, but the reality is that we have a different set of abilities that work equally well in different ways or for a different purpose (1Co 12:16). If we all did exactly the same thing or had exactly the same gifts then only part of God’s work could be accomplished (1Co 12:17). We want to strive to develop our own talents based on the things that attract and excite us (1Co 12:14,20). That is where we will shine and where we will be excited and feel satisfied. God will lead us to the places and experiences that will allow us to develop our unique spiritual gifts and personality if we give him the opportunity (1Co 12:27). We simply need to do the work that is set before us and call on God to make those opportunities available. Trust and obey.