Genesis 4
v. 17. Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
vs. 19 - 22. Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of those who play the harp and flute. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.
v. 26b. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Within ten verses of Genesis 4 we see Cain's intentionality in building a city and his family's unique giftings in construction, farming, music, and metal working. We also see the beginnings of worship as people start to seek the Lord purposely.
This passage made me grateful for the unique gifts God has given each person to contribute to the building and flourishing of culture and community. This is a common grace, given not just to Christians, but to all people. It's easy to think of "God's work" being vocational ministry set aside for the spiritual elite who are pastors and missionaries. But all work is holy when one realizes that God has given each person unique interests and gifts to be used not for self-advancement, but for the advancement of His kingdom and for others. So what are your interests and gifts? How are you cultivating them to be used for a greater good? Perhaps you are gifted in finance or cooking or administration or teaching or construction or the arts, etc. Thank God for your unique gifts and use them for the furthering of others and God's glory.
While God has given all people "cultural gifts," he has uniquely given Christians spiritual gifts for the building up of the church and the furthering of His mission. Two primary passages that outline spiritual gifts are Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12. In Romans 12, God calls us to a humble view of ourselves as we realize we are one part of a whole with many functioning and gifted members. The unique gifts that God has given us are by His grace and should be stewarded well. In I Corinthians 12, God reminds us again that spiritual gifts are sovereignly appointed by Him for the common good. In a beautiful analogy of the human body, God warns us of the two temptations of spiritual gifts: under confidence and over confidence. The former is described by the person who says, "Because I do not have a certain gift, I do not have a place or value in the body." The latter is described by the person who says to others, "I do not need you." Both describe opposite ends of the same issue: self-absorption.
Tim Keller unpacks this concept by saying, "Pride in the form of self-consciousness (the "inferiority complex") or in the form of self-confidence (the "superiority complex") will make [functioning as part of God's body] impossible. But in the gospel we discover that we are far more wicked that we ever dared believe, yet more loved that we ever dared hope. Not self-conscious nor self-confident, a Christian in liberated to be self-forgetful." (Ministries of Mercy, p. 64)
Let me encourage you to be intentional in cultivating and stewarding the gifts that God has given you. Every person has gifts to be used for the common good and that create a thriving culture and community. Find freedom from the clawing of self-advancement in finding your identity in the finished work of God through Christ. Christian, you have unique gifts to contribute to the local church. You have something to offer, but it only finds its fullness when paired with the unique gifts of others in the church. May God work in you a humble confidence that recognizes your gifts as given graciously by Him and may you be purposeful to engage them through the local church. You are needed, but you also need others. Together you form the church that is on God's mission.
No comments:
Post a Comment