"If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" - Acts 11:17
Sometimes we get jealous of other people's talents or gifts, or the fact that people who recently came to know Christ are receiving more of a "reward" for their good works than we ever have. And sometimes we ask God why this is happening because it's "so unfair". But this verse tells us plainly: God gives GIFTS and He is GOD, why are we questioning GOD? Especially over "who gets the better gift". This is sort of an eye-opening verse for me.
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Acts 11:18
When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
God's gift is available to everyone, and I too have to be careful not to be jealous of the way others came to know Christ. My storey is boring compared to others, I have know Christ most of my life and made a decision to follow Him as a youngster. But the main point is that we have made a decision to follow Him.
So true! All of our gifts are different, but they are gifts. None are "deserved", none are "better", none are "more important". We need to remember not only to be thankful for the gifts He's given us, but to develop those gifts and use them for His glory and the good of those around us.
Job 22
Can a man be of any use to God?
Can even a wise man be of use to him?
3 Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous?
Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?
God doesn't NEED us. But He wants us. He loves us. And that is incredible.
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