No gift is too small
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. 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (NLT)
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “spiritual gifts”? Are there certain gifts that come to mind first? You might have been through a process of discerning your spiritual gifts and how to use these to serve others. Or perhaps you’ve read the lists of spiritual gifts and wished that God had given you different gifts.
It seems many of us look at our own gifts, or the way we are serving, and feel our contribution is small in comparison to others. Maybe you want to do more but don’t have the capacity amongst other responsibilities, like work or caring for children. Or maybe you’re unable to serve in the way you previously did due to changed circumstances like illness or increased caring responsibilities.
Or, if you have greater capacity to serve, you might still see the way others serve and wish you had their gifts. Whatever our circumstances, it is easy to compare ourselves to others and see our gifts and service as lesser.
This is nothing new. In chapters 12–14 of 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing disunity amongst the believers that has arisen due to valuing certain gifts more highly than others. So, in 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, Paul states three times that, while there are different gifts and different ways of serving, these gifts all come from our one God, and all are given to serve God through helping each other.
Paul is reminding the Corinthians that no spiritual gift is greater than another, and these gifts are not given for the benefit of the individual, but to help each other. And they need a diversity of gifts within the church. The most important thing is not the gifts they have, but that they are showing love.
This reminder is still relevant for us, too. We are called to use our gifts to serve (or love) others, whatever our gifts or our capacity. Of course, this won’t look the same for everyone and will differ at varying times in our lives. So, we don’t need to feel lesser if our service feels small or less important compared to others.
Prayer: God, thank you for the diversity of gifts you’ve given us. Help us to see how we can use our gifts to love others within our capacity, and to know that our service is valuable even if our contributions feel small. Amen.
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