According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts …giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6, 8)
In today’s reading of Romans, we see Paul encouraging the body of Christ to be humble in using the spiritual gifts that God has given to each member of the body. When we have this spirit of humility, it will help all of us to not compare ourselves or are spiritual gifting with the other members of the body. The difference and distribution of these gifts is due to the grace that is given to us. Spiritual gifts are not given on the basis of merit, but because God chooses to give them. 1 Corinthians 12:11 reminds us of this, “One and the same Spirit is active in all of these, distributing to each person as he wills.”
There are 7 examples of these different spiritual gifts in verses 7 and 8. All of these gifts are important to the body, along with other spiritual gifts that are mentioned in different parts of the Bible. The last 3 gifts mentioned in verse 8 encourages us to maximize whatever gift God has bestowed on us. These gifts are giving, leading and showing mercy. With each of these 3 gifts, Paul tells us the attitude that we should have as we exercise these gifts. What does that mean for us today? It is good to exercise these gifts to benefit the body of Christ. Though we also need to be careful in our attitude as we go about utilizing our gifts.
As we extend generosity through our giving, others will see the love of Jesus being displayed. As we persevere in leading with diligence, it will show others that we recognize that leading is a difficult task and can only be done when we rely on the Spirit’s power and wisdom. As we cheerfully show mercy to those around us, it will remind us that the gift of showing mercy is a supernatural gift of the Spirit and we can’t do it on our own strength. Let’s maximize the gifts that God has given us to benefit the body of Christ and to bring more glory to our King!