Romans 12:6-13

6: Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7: if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8: or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9: Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11: not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12: rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13: contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

*** 

Continuing the thought that believers are many individual members which make up the whole body of Christ—a tangible presence of His in the earth—Paul gave examples of different gifts of grace God's people have been given. We are to function in these gifts according to the proportion of faith we’ve received. God gives us these gifts by His Spirit, along with the grace and faith to function in them. They are gifts which are to be used, not shelved, and ones we are to put effort into achieving, not thinking they are unattainable or that we must wait for them to happen apart from our own efforts.

Whether we prophesy, serve others, teach, exhort, give, lead, or show mercy, we do it according to the unique grace and faith of God given to each one of us. Paul then gave instructions regarding general behavioral attributes of those who follow the Lord. Things like love, goodness, devotion, honor, diligence, perseverance, hope, prayer, generosity, and hospitality.

So we see similarities in how we behave as Christians, yet different functions through which those behaviors are expressed. Every believer is encouraged to identify and nurture the gifts of God he’s been given, developing godly character in the process.

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