Diverse Gifts; Same God – 1 Corinthians 12
‘Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.’ — 1 Corinthians 12:4–6
Differences or similarities? What do we focus on? The Corinthians seemed to have focused on the diversities of their gifts, the differences of administrations and the diversities of operations.
But what God through Paul wanted to remind them was the fact that it was the same Spirit, same Lord and same God who was working in all of them.
They may have had their different gifts and blessings, but they all came from the same God. They had more to be united about than divided over.
This is at the heart of what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. We celebrate our diversity and our unity. Neither is more important than the other. We are each a member with a vital unique role, but our gift is ineffective and meaningless without being connected to Christ the head and the other members.
May God help us rejoice in the differences rather than divide over them. May God help us celebrate the differences in gifts and thank the Lord for working in all of us, albeit in different ways.