Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them.
- Romans 12:6
We are all gifted and graced differently to operate in the gifts God has given us. Today’s verse says we are to use our gifts according to the grace that is upon us.
Two people can be gifted to teach, yet one may be a stronger teacher than the other because he or she has more grace from God for that particular calling. Why? Because the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to whomever He wills (see 1 Corinthians 12:11). He has His reasons for what He does, and we need to trust Him in that. We should be thankful for what He gives us and not become jealous of someone else’s gift. We cannot walk in love with people and envy their gifts at the same time.
My husband could be jealous because God has given me a preaching gift that He did not give him. Dave realized a long time ago that he would not be happy if he tried to operate outside of the grace that has been given to him. If he tried to be who I am, he would lose his joy. Dave is anointed in administration and finances, and his part in our ministry is just as important as mine.
If you want to be really happy, give yourself to what you are called and graced to do. The Holy Spirit will speak to you about what you are to do and help you understand the grace you have been given. Don’t be jealous of others, but walk in love toward them and in faithfulness to the calling and grace on your life.
God’s word for you today: You are an awesome person with tremendous gifts and abilities, and you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
Carrying the Cross of Jesus
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.”
Luke 23:26–28
Though Rembrandt van Rijn is best known to us as a painter, it is his drypoint etching “The Three Crosses” that many art scholars consider his finest work. The work depicts the Lord on the cross with the thieves on either side. Light from Heaven shines in the center of the picture, but the edges are dark. At the very edge of the picture stands a figure in the shadows representing the artist himself—which apparently was Rembrandt’s recognition of the fact that his sin was responsible for the death of the Lord.
Under Roman law, soldiers could force anyone they encountered to carry burdens for them. When Jesus was unable to bear the weight of His cross because of the physical suffering He had already endured, a man named Simon was picked out of the crowd and compelled to carry the cross for Jesus. He became part of the crucifixion story simply because he was passing by at the moment Jesus was taken out of the city, but in a very real sense each one of us is also part of the story.
It was your sin and my sin that resulted in the necessity of the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the world, but He also died for me. Though the crucifixion happened centuries before we were born, we were part of the events of that day, as Jesus died for our sins, just as much as those who stood there physically when Jesus died.
Luke 23:26–28
Though Rembrandt van Rijn is best known to us as a painter, it is his drypoint etching “The Three Crosses” that many art scholars consider his finest work. The work depicts the Lord on the cross with the thieves on either side. Light from Heaven shines in the center of the picture, but the edges are dark. At the very edge of the picture stands a figure in the shadows representing the artist himself—which apparently was Rembrandt’s recognition of the fact that his sin was responsible for the death of the Lord.
Under Roman law, soldiers could force anyone they encountered to carry burdens for them. When Jesus was unable to bear the weight of His cross because of the physical suffering He had already endured, a man named Simon was picked out of the crowd and compelled to carry the cross for Jesus. He became part of the crucifixion story simply because he was passing by at the moment Jesus was taken out of the city, but in a very real sense each one of us is also part of the story.
It was your sin and my sin that resulted in the necessity of the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the world, but He also died for me. Though the crucifixion happened centuries before we were born, we were part of the events of that day, as Jesus died for our sins, just as much as those who stood there physically when Jesus died.
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we see the cross without seeing ourselves in the picture, we have failed to grasp the point.
How to Be Happy
by Joyce Meyer - posted October 29, 2016Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them.
- Romans 12:6
We are all gifted and graced differently to operate in the gifts God has given us. Today’s verse says we are to use our gifts according to the grace that is upon us.
Two people can be gifted to teach, yet one may be a stronger teacher than the other because he or she has more grace from God for that particular calling. Why? Because the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to whomever He wills (see 1 Corinthians 12:11). He has His reasons for what He does, and we need to trust Him in that. We should be thankful for what He gives us and not become jealous of someone else’s gift. We cannot walk in love with people and envy their gifts at the same time.
My husband could be jealous because God has given me a preaching gift that He did not give him. Dave realized a long time ago that he would not be happy if he tried to operate outside of the grace that has been given to him. If he tried to be who I am, he would lose his joy. Dave is anointed in administration and finances, and his part in our ministry is just as important as mine.
If you want to be really happy, give yourself to what you are called and graced to do. The Holy Spirit will speak to you about what you are to do and help you understand the grace you have been given. Don’t be jealous of others, but walk in love toward them and in faithfulness to the calling and grace on your life.
God’s word for you today: You are an awesome person with tremendous gifts and abilities, and you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
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