Have you discovered your giftedness (the priceless and unique abilities that you bring to the body of Christ)? God wants you to get into service. When was the last time you served?

Day 156: It Is Our Differences That Make Us Unique

Acts 13:1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. Thoughts for Today: The church at Antioch had become the center of Christianity for the Gentiles. Let's take a look at these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: * Barnabas we remember (whose name means "son of encouragement"), as the one who took Saul under his care when no one else believed in him, and used his personal credibility to help the church in Samaria and Jerusalem accept Saul. * Simeon, called Niger, was from present day Nigeria and is probably Simon the Cyrene who in Mark 15:21 carried Jesus' cross to Golgotha. * Lucius was probably brought into the faith by his friend Simeon. * Manaen was a member of King Herod's court as well as a childhood companion of the King. This was the same King Herod who cut off John the Baptist's head, yet somehow the Lord rescued Manaen and placed him in ministry. * Saul, who up until this point is always mentioned after Barnabas (for example Barnabas and Saul), however, from now on Luke will mention Saul first and will also begin (later in this chapter) to use Saul's Roman name of Paul. I think this is because after 12-14 years of being a Christian, Saul/Paul is finally ready to begin his ministry to the Gentiles. With a little closer look at these leaders of the church at Antioch, we begin to see how God uses people with vastly different backgrounds to serve in ministry. Remember, it is our differences that make us unique and invaluable. Too often we compare ourselves to others and we become more focused on the similarities rather than the differences. One of the more challenging aspects of our Christian walk is to allow God to uncover and use those unique qualities that we possess individually to serve Him. How does He do this? It happens naturally when you begin to serve. When you get in service you find things you're good at that you never knew existed.