God gifts us all differently and those differences not only enable us to do a variety of things, but they will also cause us to see things from different perspectives. Even in ministry, we may disagree. And as with Paul and Barnabas, those disagreements can cause us to go in different directions. But when understood rightly, just as in Paul’s illustration of the body in 1 Corinthians 12, people with different visions can not only work together but complement each other.

All believers receive at least one spiritual gift at the time of their salvation and more often several in varying amounts. Do you know your spiritual gifts and are you using them for God’s glory?

And from our Old Testament reading:

Are there times when you feel completely overwhelmed by the circumstances in your life? Read about a man who was completely outnumbered in battle and how he turned to the Lord in prayer.

Today’s Readings:

2 Chronicles 13 & 14
Psalm 81.1-5
Proverbs 20.22-23
Acts 15.22-41

Finding Your Spiritual Gifts & Praying Effectively

Acts 15.22-41:

Different Gifts & Strengths

In Acts 15.37-41 the missionary team of Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement. They had taken Barnabas’ young cousin John Mark with them on their first missionary journey, but something had happened and he deserted them mid-trip.

Maybe it was discouragement or immaturity or something else. But the bottom line is that he left. And now that they were preparing for their second journey, they disagreed about giving him a second chance. In fact, their disagreement was so sharp that they split up and went out separately.

God’s Gifts

God gifts us all differently and those differences not only enable us to do different things but will sometimes cause us to see things from different perspectives.

I imagine Paul as being very practical. John Mark had quit on them and he may have wanted someone he believed would be dependable.

Barnabas, however, was an encourager. In fact, Barnabas was not his real name. His name was Joses, but he was such an encourager that he was known by the nickname Barnabas which means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4.36).

And God in His sovereignty used their differences to further spread the gospel as two missionary teams went out with their different styles and callings.

Our Gifting

All believers receive a spiritual gift or, perhaps, we might call it a gifting, since it is often a blend of spiritual gifts in varying amounts (1 Pet. 4.10, 1 Cor. 12). We receive it at the time of our conversion. This spiritual gifting is unique to us and different from our natural talents, although they sometimes work together. Spiritual gifts are not given to make us look good or to use for our own spiritual gain but for the benefit of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12.7).

And just as all the parts of the human body are important, so is each spiritual gift as Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 12:

¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? ¹⁸ But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. ¹⁹ And if they were all one member, where would the body be (NKJV)?

Different Spiritual Gifts in the Church

Another passage that talks about spiritual gifts is Romans 12:

³ For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another. ⁶ However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith; ⁷ if service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching; ⁸ or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness (ESV).

So, how do these different spiritual gifts look in the church? Many times they show up in the way we see the needs of the church. And they are often the areas where we can serve with the most joy.

The person with the gift of teaching, for example, can study and communicate the Word clearly and well. He or she may also see the areas where good teaching is lacking.

A person gifted in administration or leadership can guide and direct others and will be concerned when things seem disorganized or haphazard.

A person who is gifted to serve will automatically see areas where practical needs like making coffee, setting up chairs, or cleaning up after an event are needed and will be willing to jump in and do those things.

Someone with the gift of encouragement or exhortation has the desire and ability to encourage, give correction, and build up those who are weak in their faith.

The gift of mercy is similar to the gift of encouragement. These believers often have a unique ability to comfort, offer sympathy, and lessen the suffering of others.

Today the gift of prophecy is not so much foretelling as forth-telling. It’s declaring the truth to people in a way designed to influence them, in particular, to go God’s way. It includes reproving and admonishing when necessary.

People who are gifted to give are able to give with great joy. They see needs and willingly rise to meet those needs.

This is not a complete list and as I said, each of us generally has a combination of gifts. But however God has gifted us rather than envying someone else’s gifts or being critical because they may be called to minister differently from us, we should each seek to understand and value the gifts of others and use our own in ways that bring glory to God and benefit the church.

Your Spiritual Gifts

Do you know what your spiritual gift(s) are?

The website, GotQuestions.org had this to say in answer to a question about identifying spiritual gifts:

Identifying our spiritual giftedness can be accomplished in various ways. Spiritual gift tests or inventories, while not to be fully relied upon, can definitely help us understand where our gifting might be. Confirmation from others also gives light to our spiritual giftedness. Other people who see us serving the Lord can often identify a spiritual gift in use that we might take for granted or not recognize. Prayer is also important. The one person who knows exactly how we are spiritually gifted is the gift-giver Himself—the Holy Spirit. We can ask God to show us how we are gifted in order to better use our spiritual gifts for His glory.

Are you serving God and blessing others through your gifts? If not, ask God to show you how and where you can best serve Him. Get in motion. Volunteer in some ministry and see how God uses you.

Not the End of the Story

By the way, if you are wondering how the relationship between Paul and John Mark worked out, this was not the end of the story. Years later we find John Mark ministering alongside Paul. In fact, in Philemon 1.23-24 Paul calls him a “fellow worker.” And near the end of his life while in a Roman prison, Paul asks Timothy to bring John Mark with him when he comes.

⁹ Timothy, please come as soon as you can. ¹⁰ Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers (2 Tim. 4.9-13 NLT).

John Mark would also become a close associate of the Apostle Peter and would eventually write the gospel of Mark.

The story about Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark is a beautiful example of Romans 8.28-29 and how God works the difficulties in our lives and the differences in our giftings for our good and His glory.

Today’s Other Readings:

2 Chronicles 13 & 14:

With Many or With Those Who Have No Power

In these and the next two chapters, we have the history of Abijah and Asa, two good kings over Judah. God gave both great military victories because they relied on Him against great odds. Unfortunately, we will see in tomorrow’s reading that Asa didn’t finish so well. At the end of his life and reign, he chose to rely on the help of man, in this case, the Syrians, instead of crying out to God as in the past. But in today’s reading, we see great examples of what God will do when we put our faith and trust in Him.

Look at Asa’s prayer in 14.11:

And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

There are times when we, too, feel completely overwhelmed like we have no power. The odds are not in our favor. Have you been there or are you there now? I know I have. This passage is a great reminder that the battle is His!

But notice how simple and heartfelt Asa’s prayer was. He acknowledged his weakness and prayed based on his covenant relationship with God (“… do not let man prevail against You!”).

When Frustrated or Discouraged with Prayer

Speaking of prayer, if you are like me, you may find yourself frustrated and discouraged with your prayer life at times. Instead of honest, trusting, and heartfelt, sometimes our prayers may seem stilted and wandering. If that’s you, try something new. You might personalize Bible passages and pray them back to God or write out your prayers in a notebook or journal.

And while reading books about prayer should never replace praying, sometimes a book about prayer can help. One that has been a blessing to me is A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller.

This is not a how-to book but an invitation to come to God with all our messiness, our wandering minds, even our self-focus and be like little children coming to our Father. It breathed fresh life into my prayers. You might want to check it out.

Psalm 81.1-5:

Sing, Shout, Clap, & Make a Joyful Noise

Frequently in the Psalms, we see the use of music and singing to praise and worship the Lord. In various places, we are encouraged to sing, shout, clap, and make a joyful noise. This can be part of our private worship, as well as, our corporate worship.

Try introducing music into your daily devotional time and make the time of corporate worship a priority starting this Sunday. Listen to the words of the songs. What biblical truths are being celebrated? What attributes of God can you meditate on through the songs?

I do want to add that music is not the only way we worship. In fact, everything we do is an act of worship: how we treat our spouse, what kind of employer or employees we are, how we speak to our children and others, how we dress, everything is an act of worship. We are either glorifying God or glorifying someone or something else, often ourselves.

Proverbs 20.22-23:

Overcome Evil with Good

Verse 22:

Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil’; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Paul said it this way in Romans 12:

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about giving and our hearts, how pride shows up in our lives in unexpected ways, the heartbreaking sin of abortion, ask the question, “Could we, like the early church, turn the world upside down?” and discuss the statement, “What you do in moderation, your children will often do to excess.”

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle through Amazon.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.