#1524. Have sober judgement in regard to your gifts (26/5/26)
- Matt Beaney
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we continue our Stewardship series.
Beware of becoming jealous or ambitious about gifts or service for Christ - God has given each of us enough gifts and opportunities to thoroughly occupy us!
To watch this devotional, please select the link below:
‘For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.’ (Romans 12:3-8)
Pauls says these interesting words of warning:
‘…Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.’ He then reinforces this by urging us to use our gifts ‘in accordance with your faith’.
1. Be aware of your measure of faith
What does he mean by telling us be aware of, and use our gifts, ‘according to our faith’?
The term ‘according to our faith’ is better translated, ‘According to the measure of faith God has given to you.’ The idea is that God has given different gifts and measures of gifts - varying measures, power and proportion. In the body of Christ, we don’t have the same gifts or the same measure of gift!
‘The “measure of faith” appears to refer to the divine qualification for a task, “the spiritual power given to each Christian for the discharge of his special responsibility”(Zondervan, Expositor's Bible Commentary)
This is why Jesus says:
‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.’ (Luke 12:48)
2. Think of yourself with sober judgment
It’s easy to become proud and haughty - as it’s also easy to be self-dismissive, but the emphasis here is on the danger of overinflated self-importance.
There’s very little that damages the body of Christ and steals our joy more than pride and jealousy in the church.
We are all in danger of striving to be the ‘top dog’ or to be highly esteemed. If we think we are free from this, we fool ourselves! Someone is asked to lead worship, preach, lead a team, come to a training event, is celebrated… and we feel left out and angry.
I well remember, as a young man, that a leader in the church started gathering a group of young men for discipleship. I was so hurt to be left out - “am I not a young man, am I not zealous for Jesus, do I not deserve to be in the group…!” I’m sure that we’ve all had similar experiences and blessed is the person who remembers the pain and learns from it!
We are all in danger of pride, jealousy and ambition, and he urges them, and us, to be mindful of the measure of our gift and faith. In essence Paul is urging them to be content with the gifts and opportunities that God has given them and refrain from become jealous and envious.
The disciples, were prone to this - just like we are. Jesus taught them:
‘Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’ (Mark 10:42-45)
Response
Beware of becoming jealous or ambitions about gifts or service for Christ - God has given each of us enough gifts and opportunities to thoroughly occupy us!
A great antidote to pride - thinking too highly of ourselves - is to remember, firstly, that our gifts are given by grace; secondly, understand that the measure of our gifting is a gift; thirdly, understand that we depend on God and on one another in His body.
Now, Oliver - the famous orphan in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - was right to ask, “Please, sir, I want some more.” And, of course, we too can ask our Father for greater gifts and fresh opportunities. However, for most of us, the reality is that we already have enough ‘balls to juggle’ - enough responsibilities, opportunities, and callings to more than fill our lives. The real question is not whether we need more, but whether we will faithfully grasp and steward what God has already placed in our hands.
This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of CCP; to watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:
Community Group Study
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.
On Sunday, we continued our series:
Stewardship - A teaching series on how we are to use the good things that God gives to us.
Please read Romans 12:3-8 and discuss:
Personal Reflection – What did God speak to you about through Sunday’s message?
How would you define a spiritual gift and what they are for?
What are the ways that we can have poor ‘sober judgement’ and so can hinder the use of our gifts?
How do we find our gifts - Could one of you retell the oil illustration used by Lucy?
How would you like to grow in the use of your gifts?
Notice - If you are not already on a team, why not think about joining a serving team - this is the greatest way to find and grow in your gifts.
SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)
Why will a church that pursues the use of spiritual gifts be effective at bringing the gospel to their community?
Share Stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us.
Practical Next Steps – Who is God putting on your heart to reach? Are there any ‘people of peace’ (*see note) in your life—those who are receptive to you and spiritual conversation?
Let’s pray together:
Let’s pray for one another based on our study, and bring before God any other needs or requests for prayer.
Pray for one another's SIV opportunities and boldness in following the Spirit's promptings.
Pray specifically for the “people of peace” in our lives—asking God to open hearts and provide opportunities to speak life and truth.
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