1 Corinthians 12:7

THE RIGHT USE OF GOD’S GIFTS

‘The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.’

1 Corinthians 12:7

Do you not see how the lesson which St. Paul was teaching applies to all our Christian life among one another? Whatever any of us has, or is, he only has, or is, just what God has chosen him to have or to be.

I. We often wonder at the inequalities we see in life.—It often seems strange to people that some should be so very poor, and others so very rich—some so very clever, and others so very stupid—that some persons should have the advantages of a first-rate education, and others no education at all—that some should have strong health and be able to be so active, while others are weak and delicate and can do so little.

II. Then, again, we often wonder at what we think the imperfect way in which advantages are given to men.—We see a man gifted with great talents, but wanting in the health to use them, as we should say, to the best advantage. Or one man is persevering but dull, when if he had but half the abilities of another person who cannot persevere, he might do great things, as we say. Or as to money, we see a very benevolent, generous person without the means to carry out his benevolence; or a person of shining talents left in what we think obscurity.

III. What is all this meant to teach us than that what we call our own distinction, or our own success, is not the object for which God gives us our abilities, or our money, or our health, or any of our powers. Whatever we are, or have, is God’s doing and God’s arranging, and we are to use our capacities for His service and the good of our neighbours, and not for our own selfish advantage. If God had meant a man’s talents to be used solely for his own advancement, it would have been just as easy for God to have taken care that every clever man should have the best of educations, and the strongest health, and the most perfect freedom from interruptions. If God had meant all these things for our distinction it would have been quite as easy for Him to have arranged them so. But we see just the reverse.

IV. And from this we learn two things mainly:—

(a) How to look at ourselves and our own lot and our own abilities.

(b) How to look at other people in their lot and station.

As to ourselves, we learn never to value ourselves for any talent God has given us; and we learn never to murmur because there is (as we say) something wanting in our lot which, if we had it, would enable us to succeed so much better than we do.

As to other people, we learn never to despise any one else, or to think ourselves better than they are because we have some advantages which they have not. Quick, clever people are very apt to be impatient with slow people. Rich people are apt to despise poor people. People of strong health are apt to look down on the sickly or the delicate.

All this is wrong. God has divided to each his gift. No one is without some gift. It is our business to see that whatever our gift is we use it ‘to profit withal’ in the sphere in which God has placed us.