In Scripture, the church is never described as a democracy. Certainly every person deserves equal treatment in terms of kindness, love, and respect; but as our God-given assignments are all different, so are our gifts. ‘It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have’ (v. 11 NLT). Pay close attention to the words ‘He alone decides.’ Parents want to see all their children succeed in life. But they also need to recognise that just as children’s individual talents differ, so do their unique destinies. That’s why it’s helpful to compete with others or compare yourself to somebody else. The Bible says, ‘God was validating it [the message] with gifts…as he saw fit’ (Hebrews 2:4 MSG). We don’t need to question or second-guess God; He knows what He’s doing and He never makes mistakes. Even among His twelve disciples, Jesus had an inner circle. He took Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration and sent the others into town to work. He didn’t feel obliged to take everybody up the mountain so nobody would feel slighted. Does that mean He loves one person more than another? No, the experience Peter, James, and John had on the mountaintop that day was part of their training for the assignment Jesus was calling them to. There’s a lesson here for each of us. You have to move beyond other people’s opinions. God made you for a special purpose; He has a job for you that nobody else can do as well as you. When you know that something is right for you, do it and trust God to uphold you in the eyes of others.
