“Now the Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward, and their number by head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges, and four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand were praising the Lord with the instruments which David made for giving praise.” 1 Chronicles 23:3-5
Do you tend to embrace or reject differences with other people? We are all different on so many levels. We are different in our backgrounds, our heritage, our talents, and much more. Sometimes these differences can be so overwhelming that we struggle to see where we fit in. Today’s passage reminds us there is unity and diversity in the different abilities of God’s people. Though they had many differences, no person did his or her work alone, and each person played a part to serve God. These differences were not used to create hierarchy or for one group to dominate another but for all to use their gifts to serve God.
It is easy to let differences stop us from working with other followers of Christ. We may feel we have nothing in common, but in Christ we have the most important thing in common: We are in the family of God. Because of Jesus, we can come together despite our differences and use our gifts to be unified in the way we love and serve the Lord. First Peter 4:10 encourages us: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.”
- What are some ways your gifts feel different from other people’s? How can you pursue serving God together through differences?
- What is the most challenging part of overcoming differences for you?
- Pray and ask God to bring unity in our church in all the different ways we serve Him.
