Galatians 5:26, “Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.” NLT
Good morning friends in Christ! What a beautiful day God gave us! When you look out upon the view outside your own window, what do you see, what do you think and feel? Our views are all likely very different, yet God created them all. My backyard is a wooded half acre. Besides many varieties of trees, there are many assorted bushes. Fall is one of the prettiest and frustrating seasons for me. As the trees begin to change colors, it is an artists masterpiece! The Artist, Creator, Mastor of all! I can not look upon the view of my backyard and not think of my God! The frustrating part for me is the endless falling of leaves on my deck, which are impossible to keep up with. Currently the squirrels are having fun opening all the acorns and making a huge mess on my deck. I suppose if I am fair the squirrels and trees were there before my deck, right? I am in their domain. So my love of the trees and varieties may be another persons frustrating part if they suffer from allergies. My frustrating part of endless leaves that continue to pile up could be the exciting part for a family with young kids who would enjoy jumping in the leaves. God in His wisdom created each of uniquely! This is amazing and wonderful; it adds to the tapestry of our lives. No boring, monotonous interactions with the same exact people wherever we go!!
We are all uniquely gifted and have different personalities. So how one person lives out their spiritual walk and uses their spiritual gifts will look different from another’s. Because this is true, we can find ourselves jealous, provoked or conceited over these matters in our lives and in others lives. As Galatians reminds us we should not become conceited, provoked, or jealous of another. Ugh! Not always easy, right? We hear about whole families that go and do mission work in other countries, and think that they are really serving God well! We may question what we are doing and how it just doesn’t seem like “enough.” As long as we are actively using our gifts for serving God’s people, we are doing exactly what God has called us to do. If we all went to minister in other countries, who would be here ministering to the people around us?
I have the gift of encouragement, and God has called me to minister in a small women’s Bible study. It is such a blessing to be able to encourage and grow spiritually with these women! It would be very easy to drown myself in jealousy or self pity because my group is small and others are bigger. I could question why God isn’t using my gift in a grand way. Though there are typically a dozen or fewer in my group, I know that God brings just who needs to be there and I do not allow myself to compare the size of my group with another. God uses my obedience to minister to who He has sent to me. Who am I to dictate to God how many women that should be! He knows best! He leads, He guides, He speaks. I obey ! It is truly a humbling honor to be used by God!
As you meditate on this verse, ask God to show you any conceit or jealousy in your heart toward another. Then ask Him to help you remove it and replace it with genuine joy for the other person! We are called to rejoice when others rejoice and mourn when others mourn! This is the Christian walk that we will find many blessing along the path of life!
Love and Prayers, Paula Nebel
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