Same God Different Gifts

The same God who made the heavens and the earth made you to be one of one. Your life is a journey of discovering your God-given kingdom identity so you can see how your gifts help the common good and fit within the body of Christ.

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation...The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple...the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings...everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem...King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away." Ezra‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭7‬

Have you ever taken time to consider how everything in the world fits together? Day and night. Water and land. Sun and rain. God is a God of order and intentionality. Each and every person, animal, plant, and weather pattern fits within a greater purpose that operates under the authority of God. Pastor Mark Batterson has said every ology is a branch of theology. Ology means the study of something, and theology is the study of God. Everything that has life ultimately comes from the God who gives life.

You might wonder how this random opening fits within the bigger picture of today's study. Our first chapter tells the story of a foreign king who is moved with compassion to bring the exiled people of Judah back to their holy land, and he provides them with all they need to rebuild the place where they worship God. Ask yourself how you look at the people in your life, and take time to think of the people who do not look, talk, or act like you. Do you see each person as a child of God who is uniquely and wonderfully made? The same God who made Adam from the earth, who used Moses to free people from slavery, and who much later sent His Son Jesus for us used a foreign king named Cyrus to fulfill His purposes.

Why does any of this matter? Because a truth emerges that every life matters. Every person matters. God made each person and has a plan for their life. This truth should fundamentally change how we look at, think about, and treat each other. The God who created the heavens and the earth does not make mistakes. He will use faithful followers or willing foreigners to fulfill His purposes. God works through willing hearts and wants us to learn to love all He has made. What would happen if we asked God how to look at and talk to each person we encountered today? How would that change us and honor the God who made them?

“Praise the LORD, my soul. LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time...when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you send your Spirit, they are created...May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works— I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭104‬:‭1‬-‭34

David sings of the heavens and the earth that were carefully crafted by the Creator. After looking at all that God has made and realizing he is only scratching the surface of truly understanding how wondrous the works of God are, David prays that his meditation would be pleasing to God. There are even more layers to this prayer when one examines the Hebrew word for meditation. This word means reflection, expression, and delight.

We should always look at how we can apply Scripture to our own lives. Knowledge in and of itself does not lead to transformation. We must hear and do to become. Consider applying the three filters within the meaning of meditation to how you approach the day. To reflect is to think deeply about who God is and ponder all He has done. To express is to respond by allowing thoughts to move to words, and words to move to prayers or praise. To delight is to find the beauty within what you see because it was made by God for God.

What would happen if we did this with each person in our lives? It is easy to do with people we enjoy. How would it change if you took this approach when looking at a difficult classmate, colleague, or community member? If you are willing, take time and ask God to give you eyes to see the gifts within them, a mouth to use your words to encourage them, and a heart to delight in the truth that God made them. The same God who made you made them.

“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. How delightful is your love...How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice! You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water.” ‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭4‬:‭1-15

Can you think of the last wedding you attended? Was there not something special in the air? In this passage, the language mirrors the language one would find at a wedding celebration. There is an innocence, purity, and intimacy to the marriage day that is unlike any other. Two become one. Different and complementary people come together to build a life together. There is a comparative action that occurs. A choice is made that this is the one. This love is better than any other, and that love is meant to be like a well of flowing water that gives life.

Every wedding is meant to have an aroma of excitement and expectation. Jesus described the church and God as bride and bridegroom. It is a preview of what is to come in the hereafter and an invitation to remember that we are part of a larger body of Christ. Every person in Christ belongs to the body. No exceptions. Your life is not your own. There is a wedding banquet, and you are invited to help join in the celebration, but it is not centered on you.

If we are honest, we might admit that we do not always see other people or our relationships with wedding eyes. We live in a world that loves to tear people down and talk trash. We have an enemy to our lives who twists truth and tries to separate close friends. The same person who was made by Christ to contribute to the body can become someone we criticize or complain about. Why? Is it not because our meditation does not maintain a heavenly perspective? When David said meditate, implied in this word is a continual process by which we evaluate all things. What would happen if we acted like, spoke to, and treated each person as though they belonged to God and were beautiful in His eyes?

"For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near— a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his army—the most ruthless of nations— will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain. I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. I will inflict punishment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭30‬:‭1‬-‭19

God is righteous and just. He gave life to all the living but gives them a choice in how they will live. The same God who sent the foreign king Cyrus to gather people back and provide all they needed to rebuild the temple sends the foreign king Nebuchadnezzar to hold the unfaithful accountable for their actions. God does not ever approve of injustice or treating people like they are less than those made by the hand of the living God.

Some may see these passages as harsh, but the actions of God reflect the consistency of His care. God is a God of justice. He sent people to stop others from hurting themselves, hurting others, and hurting their relationship with Him. He looked around and saw people worshiping idols and approving of injustice. He does not delight in disciplining the unfaithful, and Scripture tells us consistently that His desire is that they repent from their ways.

Jesus teaches us to turn the mirror around. While we might not be actively oppressing other people, perhaps we have allowed offense to murder someone in our hearts. Jesus raised the bar in the Sermon on the Mount and said if you are even angry with another person, you have already sinned. There is healing in honesty, and today is a day to forgive through reflection, expression, and delight in anyone who has done you wrong or to whom you have done wrong. Who comes to mind for you when reading those words?

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”... its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it...Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭7‬, ‭12‬-‭15‬, ‭21‬, ‭24‬-‭31‬

God is always growing us so that we might love like Jesus. Paul and David both challenge us to change the way we meditate so that we might love the way our Maker does. They both point out that the same God who created the heavens and the earth created every person you encounter today. The differences we see in those around us are meant to produce appreciation for how they can do God's work, not ever allow those differences to divide us. The truth is we need each other, and we are better together.

Paul gave this message because we are not there yet. We still judge, criticize, hold on to offense, and allow our differences to divide us. We need Jesus. We are sinners who cannot fully love in our own strength. Apart from the Holy Spirit empowering us and the cross repairing our brokenness, how could we ever love out of a place of wholeness? The call is not to try harder. The call is to follow Jesus.

He sought out the sinner, dined with the leper, loved the outcast, forgave the obstinate, and gave His life to bring everyone back to Him. His love is the example we follow, and His Spirit is the only way it is possible. The more we look to Him, take time to reflect and listen to His voice, ask for His eyes to see others, let our words be expressions that lift up others, and seek what delights Him, the more we can become the well that flows, bringing life to each person in our lives.

Who do you need to look at differently? Who needs your compassion instead of your criticism? Who do you need to bless instead of curse? If you are willing, ask God to change the way you think, the way you see, and the way you love so that your meditations may be pleasing to God. Begin by reflecting on His goodness, listening to the words that give life, and knowing He delights in you. Then go and reflect His goodness to His people. Be who God made you to be. There is no comparison in Christ. We are not called to be the same, but we are called to be one in His body.