Romans 12:3

Here is today's question. This grows out of Sunday's Bible study lesson. "In Romans 12:3,"God hath dealt to every man a measure of faith". Does he give different measures of faith to different people and why? Does that measure change as we need it ? Does it grow as our faith and trust grow? "

First, we need to define what is meant by a measure of faith. Paul is not referring to saving faith. Believers have already exercised that faith by trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior. He could possibly be referring to faith in the sense of trust and reliance upon God. However, it seems clear that Paul is referring to spiritual gifts and their operation within the body of Christ. Every believer has been given a spiritual gift and is required to use that gift within the context of a local church. Each person's giftedness is unique. Our gift mix is like a spiritual fingerprint or DNA sample, No two are exactly alike. Paul's main application in this passage is to admonish us to be humble. There is no room for arrogance because of great gifts or discouragement because of more common ones. We are what we are by the grace of God. Each of us has a vital role to play in the advance of God's kingdom.

Do our gifts change? I think that as we grow and mature in our faith, our gifts become more evident. This was definitely true in my life. As a minister of music I did not utilize my gifts of teaching and preaching as I do now. But as I grew, it became apparent that my abilities and my passion were in the studying and preaching of God's Word. My gifts didn't really change, they just came to light with maturity.

This brings us to an important point. We must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to him, before we can know and utilize our spiritual gifts. As we surrender ourselves to God it becomes more and more natural to serve Him in certain areas, and in certain ways. This is a pretty good way to find our giftedness. Be right with God and do what you love to do for His glory.