Different, Same

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 ⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

If you haven’t noticed, humans are very different from each other. And at the same time there is so much that we share in common. But even with all this diversity we are still united in our humanity. We can marry across all of these outward appearances and begin a new family.

But in our current world where the differences are blow out of proportion and the shared aspects of our existence have been all but eliminated, it can be hard to focus on the sameness. If you do, you get labeled intensive or even racist. To point out similarities is to downplay the differences. I wish we could just celebrate our differences and celebrate our sameness.

But in the Church, both sameness and different are celebrated. And that is one of the things that makes the Church different from the rest of society today. In the Church, we are all united because of the work of Christ on our behalf. He alone is the reason we exist. He is the One behind it all.

And in that unity of direction, purpose, and goal we all function in slightly different ways. We all are gifted differently, with different personalities and bents. And on top of that, the LORD gives us different gifts, services and working. He is behind it all, even the differences.

If only we could really grasp this truth. There is no reason to be jealous of someone else’s ministry. There is no reason to look at someone else’s performance on the job and wish you were in their shoes. If we are Believers, then we rejoice in the variety of gifts and the variety of results, because they all point to Jesus.

Sometimes I wish I could sing like … (you fill in the blank of male vocalist) but I can’t. I can’t play trumpet like any of the great trumpet players that I admire. I can’t do carpentry like the professional furniture makers that I look up to. But I can do some things well enough to be a positive influence on my grandchildren.

You could make up a list of what you can’t do, and what you can do, but all lists would be incomplete without a third column, “What the Lord did through me!” That is the column that really matters.

So today, look at what the Lord is doing through you. Focus on that and let the other things fall into their proper place. Change your perspective on those other things. Give priority to what the Lord is doing through you.