^{“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” I Corinthians 12:7-11 ESV.}

Sometimes what I hear spoken among my fellow brothers in the Lord makes me cringe. Take the concept of faith. Every time I hear someone desire more faith, (like faith is a commodity sold at the church gym), I find myself jumping into a situation that I would rather not.

Jesus had a similar situation with his disciples. In Luke 17:5-6, they approached Jesus asking him to increase their faith. Jesus reply was straight to the matter.  In today’s vernacular, he may have said something like “If you had only a little faith, you have enough.”

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:7-11 that faith comes from God as He apportions. Some people he gives a large amount of faith (the gentile Centurion whose daughter was healed in Luke 7:9) and other times He apportions a little amount of faith (Romans 14:1 is an example of a brother with low faith as it pertains to eating meat versus only vegetables.) We all have enough faith. It comes down to whether or not we exercise it.

What is so awesome about God is He rewards us according to what he has given us. If he gives us a large portion of faith, he will expect a return on his investment. Likewise, if he allocated a small portion of faith, he likewise will expect a return on his investment. Whether one starts off with a $1,000 or $1,000,000, a 100% return is a 100% return.

Humanity generally tends to look at the dollar amount and recognize the million dollar investment and return a better deal. However, God looks at the $1,000 return on a $1,000 investment with the same level of justice. In fact, he may even lean more towards the smaller value because to double the smaller amount may take more work and effort. Only he knows where a person truly started in life and the growth that came from the process. Human’s measure only from the outside. God looks at the total picture: inside-out and outside-in.

So instead of measuring ourselves with others, maybe it is better to look at yourself in comparison with Jesus. Even when we look at where we came from to where we are today, the glory and reward is His. We only did the best we could with what we have been given. How about you?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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