What Colors Do YOU Possess?

[Timl1980]

I will attempt to keep this brief...please turn to me to 1 Peter 4:10: “To the extent that each one has received a gift, use it in ministering to one another as fine stewards of God’s undeserved kindness that is expressed in various ways.”

 

In the Koine Greek...the word gift is “poikilos”...and while it can be expressed in various ways...here it means “shades” ...or “colors” ...and it describes something that each Christian possesses in various ways.

 

But...before you jump to any conclusions...please join me in turning just a few chapters back to 1 Peter 1:6: “Because of this you are greatly rejoicing, though for a short time, if it must be, you have been distressed by various trials,”

 

And then there's James 1:2: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet with various trials,”

 

The same Greek word used to describe our "gifts"...is also used to describe our "trials"!

 

Friends, Jehovah's point is simple...straightforward.

 

 

No matter what our background...no matter what our personal circumstances...every single one of us have different “shades”...or different “colors”...of persecutions or trials that make us unique.

 

What we're going through...personally...may shatter us! Literally, it may have felt like it has broken us...we may feel like we can never recover.

 

We may hear another brother or sister say... “I've went through that!! I know just how you feel!!”

 

We may FEEL they are wrong...we may FEEL that they are just trying to be nice...that no one has went though what I'VE endured.

 

But please, brothers and sisters...please go back and thoroughly re-read 1 Peter 4:10: “To the extent that each one has received a gift, use it in ministering to one another as fine stewards of God’s undeserved kindness that is expressed in various ways.”

 

Please listen closely to what Jehovah is ACTUALLY saying in this precious verse!

 

I will re-state a simple but true fact: Each and every single one of us possesses different “shades” and “colors” of gifts that can be used in Jehovah's service.

 

Just because YOU don't think your shade...your color...EXACTLY matches another brothers or sisters...is that any reason to doubt that Jehovah can't take your particular shade or color and MAKE it an exact match to someone who needs comfort?

 

Do you truly believe Jehovah...whose very name we understand to mean “he causes to become” ...can't add and make up for the subtle differences in your particular “shade” or “color”?

 

He most definitely can...and will...provided we allow ourselves to stop worrying about what we AREN'T...and allow Jehovah to mold and shape us into the rainbow of colors that each of CAN be!

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by Timl1980

[Pjdriver]

 

Thank you great presentation Tim....very Interesting. Here’s my additional 2 cents:  

 

The Greek word "χάρισμα" (charisma) is versatile. It can refer to both "gifts" and "trials" in certain contexts. Derived from "χάρις" (charis), meaning "grace" or "favor," this word is commonly used in the christian scriptures to describe spiritual gifts bestowed by God upon believers.

These gifts are various abilities like prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues, as mentioned in Romans 12:6-8.

However, "χάρισμα" can also have a broader meaning, extending to include life's challenges and difficulties as gifts or opportunities for personal growth and learning.

James 1:2-4, for instance, encourages believers to view trials as occasions for developing perseverance and spiritual maturity. 

 

Quote

James 1:2-4,

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet with various trials,+3 knowing as you do that this tested quality of your faith produces endurance.+ 4 But let endurance complete its work, so that you may be complete and sound in all respects, not lacking in anything.+

 

So, while "χάρισμα" is often associated with spiritual gifts, it can also convey the idea that trials and hardships can lead  to spiritual growth and maturity in individuals.  

 

James may just as well have said:

“Consider it "a gift”  when you meet with various trials, knowing it will produce in you, qualities that will lead to everlasting life.