Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.

                                                                                                         1 Corinthians 12:4-6 

They say, “Variety is the spice of life.” Well, whoever was commenting at that time might not have been thinking about spiritual gifts but the sentiment does apply. God has created us with incredible diversity. In fact, no two people are exactly alike. Even identical twins have their differences. And in the case of the church, the same applies. There are a variety of gifts, a variety of ministries, and a variety of effects, all working together like a well-oiled machine for the purpose of accomplishing one thing: open declaration of the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. And this variety of gifting comes from the same God, the same Lord, and the same Spirit.

But often, we look around at the gifting of others and fail to see the value of our own presence in the church. Consider Paul’s regarding this attitude:

For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 

                                                                                                   1 Corinthians 12:14-17 

God has gifted each of us with uniqueness in personality, ability, and purpose. We should never desire to be something that we are not rather we should work towards becoming the best version of ourselves. Paul uses the analogy of the human body to illustrate this point. If someone is a foot, they should not desire to be an eye or ear or any other part of the body. For the church to function properly, it is essential that every person work within their own skill set and ability. Envy and jealousy have no place in the church and an attitude of coveting others’ abilities can lead to a lack of fulfillment and a failure to live up to one’s own potential.

But along with working within our own skill set and ability, we need to also avoid the attitude of thinking that we do not need the other members of the body. This is commonplace in today’s culture. Many people who profess to be born again believers in Jesus Christ completely neglect the pursuit of their own gifting within the church. There are a variety of ways in which people can rationalize this attitude but the bottom line is this: our salvation is not only for us. When God saves us, he does so with the betterment of others in mind as well. We are to use our testimony, our witness, and our spiritual gifts for the purpose of seeing others come to faith in Christ and to equip our fellow believers with the necessary tools to grow into strong, healthy, and effective members themselves. Consider Paul’s words:

And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

                                                                                                       1 Corinthians 12:21

We simply cannot rightly tell other Christians that we have no need of them. Failure to plug into a local congregation of believers is, at best, a negligent use of our own ability and gifting.

Finally, God’s unique and diverse gifting process is clearly demonstrated in Paul’s words toward the end of the passage: 

All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?                        

                                                                                                1 Corinthians 12:29-30 

Through a series of rhetorical questions, Paul makes the case for diversity. Some people are apostles, but not everyone. Some are prophets, but not all. Teachers, miracle workers, healers, and those who speak in and interpret tongues are additional gifts mentioned by Paul but with the purpose of reminding us that we are not all gifted with the same things.

This goes back to the attitude of desiring to be like someone else. This should never be our attitude as Christians. But it is human nature to want to be recognized and to feel needed. Unfortunately those natural desires can make our understanding of the gifting of God convoluted and cause us to feel less important and begin to question our own place in the church. But every member of the church is necessary and it is only when all of the members are working within their own ability and gifting, through the power of the Spirit in them, that the church becomes powerful and effective. Consider Paul’s description:

…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

                                                                                                            Ephesians 4:15-16 

With love and spiritual maturity as the goal, every believer in Jesus is to use his/her gift(s) for the betterment of everyone around them. We need not envy those who have gifts that we do not rather we should enjoy our gifts and live our lives utilizing those talents for the glory of God and the good of others.

There is only one God but He has chosen to save us by faith in Jesus and to give us a diverse, meaningful purpose for our time on earth. Let’s be a people who do not squander our opportunities but grab hold of every occasion given to us!