Power-filled Positive Thinking—Chapter 14b-United we Stand-One Body in Christ
In Christ, we are bestowed with spiritual gifts. Christ having been the complete embodiment of all the gifts; yet, God in His wisdom divided the 7 major gifts so that we would need each other. He never meant for us to be an island within ourselves. The 7 major gifts are Leadership (Organization), Prophecy (Justice), Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Mercy, and Giving (Financial Savvy). There may be moments in which we may be given any of the gifts in a crisis moment; however, for the most part each believer is given one primary motivational gift with one secondary motivational gift. Within the family of Christ (the body of all believers) as well as within our earthly family it is very important to know and understand this principle. By gaining a thorough understanding of the various motivational gifts, we gain an understanding of how to harmoniously work together. When we combine the various gifts harmoniously, we develop a strong defensive line against attack by outside forces of any kind, including from satanic attack.
The key to harmoniously working together is understanding each motivational gift, its primary purpose within the body, celebrating the differences, and allowing God’s love to flow through us as the glue that holds it all together.
In I Corinthians 12, we read Paul illustrate this for us by saying it is similar to our human body which works together. The ears cannot do what the eyes do, nor can the heart do what the brain does; yet, they all work together. For an athlete to run a race, it requires the brain, lung, heart, muscle, skeletal system, sensory system and metabolic system all working in harmony. Although, each system has its unique function in the body which is very different; to accomplish any task the separate parts must harmoniously function together. When any one part fails, the task becomes essentially impossible.
As a unit, no member of the body is more important than another. It requires all the various members functioning out of their own gift for the body to complete the task in the most efficient manner. If you do not understand the differences of the various motivational gifts, it is very easy to misunderstand and even become frustrated or angry with someone who is functioning from a different primary gift.
Maybe I can make this a little clearer when I go back to the story in my own life. While trying to stand alone, I was drowning emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Standing alone was something I had tried to do. After all, I did not want to burden my children. Also, if I let people too close they might realize that I was a failure and reject me. I so desperately needed to be loved and accepted in order to feel myself worthy that I couldn’t risk letting anyone into my world. So, here I was trying to hold on with all my might; yet, my hands were slipping. When Alberto called that day, he realized that I was drowning. With his gift of leadership, he could see that the entire success of us as a family lay in my recognizing my role, my rejecting the negative forces, my narrowing my focus to the immediate task in front of me, and my utilizing my strengths to stand in the power of Christ. However, for Alberto because of his primary gift of leadership, it was also very difficult to have to confront my negative despair. Those with the primary motivational gift of leadership don’t want to hear anyone saying “it can’t be done” because they are so focused on the fact that it can be done. Still, as leader within this family unit; he knew he must step out of his comfort zone and for a moment don the gift of exhortation so as to provide the life jacket before I drown. Yet, he knew who was best to give me the truth of the issue in a calm manner—so he told me to call Ron. Ron’s primary motivational gift is justice. He sees truth in black and white. Ron’s secondary gift is mercy. Although the two would seem in conflict with each other, in Ron they create a unique blend which allows him to quietly step back and assess the situation. Alberto also knew the other one best to listen to me was Melissa whose primary motivational gift is service. She would be there with open ear and loving heart to be my best friend at all times. Alberto’s secondary gift is giving and that is where one knows how to manage money. The rest of us should always listen better to his money advice. My primary gift is Mercy with a secondary of exhortation. Melissa’s secondary gift is teaching. Hence within our family, God had provided all the major motivational gifts. We only need understand this truth and work as a unit to withstand any storm of life. If we allow the differences of our motivational gifts to become a wedge of misunderstanding, then as a unit we will fall. The glue that holds all the parts together is genuine, selfless, humble, unconditional love. That kind of love is found embedded in God’s love for us. Let me encourage you to read Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 and 13.
Listen to this song, United in Christ in Love
©2015 Effie Darlene Barba
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.