Don't Think Too Highly Of Yourself

Romans 12: 3-8 

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 

Paul says he can speak only because of the grace God has given him. And to remember that we all have value in that God granted us the gift of faith to put our trust in Him. 

In other words, like the song says, "I'm just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, all about a Somebody," who has given us what we need to serve Him. Nothing is of ourselves, and if we think otherwise, then we need to renew our minds.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 

Just because you're better at something than someone else, or they're able to do something you can't, that doesn't mean that anyone is any better or worse than anybody else, just different.  

so we, who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 

We are all one entity, one body, one congregation; and each of us provides a different quality to the whole. All our differences make up for our deficiencies and fill all the holes to all work together as a complete unit.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: 

God has apportioned His grace-gifts to each of us individually according to the functions He wants us to carry out for the benefit of the whole being. 

if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 
if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 
or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 

All these different giftings are to be individually practiced according to the measure of faith He granted each of us, to the best of our abilities. Whatever our role is, we are to throw ourselves into it fully, doing it faithfully, confidently trusting our Lord in the outworkings of them all to accomplish His purposes. 

Not everyone has any one of these, that's why the one that has whatever gift needs to be the one to exercise that gift, because that's why God put him there with that gift. 

And there is never any reason to think that any gift makes someone better or more important than someone else with a different gift. They are all important, and they are all needed to round out the personality of the congregation. 

And all of our gifts are from God, according to His desire, not from us. There is never any "self-made" Christian, we are all God-molded. 

O my Father, You are working out all Your purposes using us and the gifts You have given to each of us. Please help us to distinguish our giftings, to recognize that You have given us the gift You have, and teach us how to exercise our gifts with the love and compassion and boldness each one requires. 

Show us that when we see one another with different gifts and abilities, that we will honor their working of them, without comparing. Help us each to appreciate the gift You have given to us, and to honor one another with it, to bring the glory to You as the Planner and Giver of all gifts. 

And help us to see how all of our diverse gifts and abilities all work together to get everything done to accomplish Your purposes in it all. 

Teach us how to love one another with Your Love, Father, and to turn daily to You for the strength and stamina to stay the course. 

O Father, continue to mold us and shape us into the very image of our Lord and Savior, and "I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake" in glory! (Psalm 17: 15). 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever, Amen. 

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!