Each Monday, we share quotes we found encouraging, convicting, thought-provoking, or all of the above.
Persis:
In Sunday school this week, one of the elders taught the lesson on Chapter 6 in the Mortification of Sin. He quoted from Holiness by J.C. Ryle which inspired me to take a look at it again. This quote is from the introduction.
That a life of daily self-consecration and daily communion with God should be aimed at by everyone who professes to be a believer --that we should strive to attain the habit of going to the Lord Jesus Christ with everything we find a burden, whether great or small, and casting it upon Him--all this, I repeat, no well-taught child of God will dream of disputing. But surely the New Testament teaches us that we want something more then generalities about holy living, which often pierce no conscience and give no offence. The details and particular ingredients of which holiness is composed in daily life, ought to be fully set forth and pressed on believers by all who profess to handle the subject. True holiness does not consist merely of believing and feeling, but of doing and bearing, and a practical exhibition of active and passive grace.
Rebecca:
I'm going to quote some of Tom Schreiner's comments in his book Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter, but first, here are the verses from Romans he's commenting on:
[6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8 ESV)One of the points Schreiner takes from this text is that we should focus our time and energy on the particular gifts we have been given.
In verse 7-8 Paul lists three gifts and says that believers should concentrate on the gift one has. For instance, those who have a gift of service should concentrate on serving. Those with a gift of teaching should center their ministry on their teaching, while those who have a gift of exhortation and encouragement should devote themselves to encouraging others.
What Paul says here applies to all the gifts and is immensely practical. We should pour our energy into the gifts we have. Of course, we must be careful and avoid an overreaction. We must not say, "I won't serve because I have the gift of teaching," or, "I don't do evangelism because I don't have the gift of sharing the gospel with others." On the other hand, life is short, and God has designed the body so that it functions best when we concentrate on the gifts we have. We are to spend our time maximizing the particular gift God has given us. To do such is not unspiritual or selfish but wise. [1]I will admit to being frustrated sometimes when other Christians don't share the particular passions I have. But I think our passions tend to follow our gifts, so it's exactly right for us, because we are gifted differently, to be passionate about different aspects of service to the church. It's not necessarily unspiritual for another believer to not share my specific interests or to not be passionate about the same causes I am.
"Life is short," as Schreiner says. Maximize the particular gift God has given you. Or, to put it another way, "Give yourself completely and joyfully to the work God has given you to do."[2]
[1] pages 66-67.
[2] page 68.
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