God of Variety

When we received new members, and again when we will receive the Confirmation Group on May 11th, all of us have an opportunity to renew our membership vows. One vow we renew is to serve the church with all our prayers, presence, service, and GIFTS. This article below, from "19 Gifts of the Spirit," is a good example of how diverse our gifts are, and a reminder that ALL of our gifts are needed in the church.

"Someone has imagined the Carpenter's tools holding a conference. Brother Hammer presided. Several suggested he leave the meeting because he was too noisy. Replied the Hammer, 'If I have to leave this shop, Brother Screw must go also. You have had to turn him around again and again to get him to accomplish anything.'

"Brother Screw then spoke up. 'If you wish, I will leave. But Sister Plane must leave too. All her work is on the surface. Her efforts have no depth.' To this Sister Plane responded, 'Sister Rule will also have to withdraw, for she is always measuring folks as though she were the only one who is right.' Sister Rule then complained against Brother Sandpaper, 'You ought to leave, too, because you're so rough and always rubbing people the wrong way.'

"In the midst of all this discussion, in walked the Carpenter of Nazareth. He had arrived to start His day's work. Putting on His apron, He went to the bench to make a pulpit from which to proclaim the Gospel. He employed the hammer, screw, plane, rule, sandpaper, and all the other tools. After the day's work, when the pulpit was finished, Brother Saw arose and remarked, 'Brethren, I observed that all of us are workers together with the Lord.' "

God is a God of variety. In nature, what a diversity of animals! Every snowflake is different, every fingerprint, every face. Likewise, God is a God of variety in the church. What a diversity of gifts God has bestowed on believers to equip them for service.