UNITY IN DIVERSITY : OUR INDIVIDUAL TALENTS CAN BE MISMANAGE
AND COULD LEAD TO A VERY GREAT DISCOMFORT; OR EVEN THE DEMISE ENTIRE ASSOCIATION/ORGANIZATION
ACTS 2: 42-47

When a Group of People comes together from different orientations, countries, churches and societies under one umbrella for a common goal, there are advantages and disadvantages.
The Body of Christ is no exception and we must do all we can to study the past to make the present more unique and presentable for everyone to feel at home and in place. So, you might ask me, Bishop how is this possible? How can we find a place for everybody? This is too big a task. Okay, But Bishop, everyone here is a Minister of God, so we all have the same calling; therefore you need not look further.
Don’t worry about confusing yourself about anything; the Great Designer had this in mind from the day of your birth. He sent you with a vocation. But in order to exploit and understand this vocation you must know your gift/talent. Understanding your talent, help you to get the best out of life and those around you. Do you know that the only way to help a group of people, an individual, an organization etc. is to teach them how to exploit their talents to the fullest? Yet there is the other side of this talent coin. It can be mismanaged. And that is the point I have decided to touch in this little work.
When we use our talents to mislead or bully others it usually ends up for the worst. When we come together in a large group, it is best to look for unifying points, and to allocate positions like the Apostle Paul try to warn about in 1Cor.12-31. Yes we are different parts, but unique parts, each with a duty of their own. We must always work along side the other parts in order to make a successful whole. To illustrate the point I want to stress about mismanagement. I want to use the method I know best; and it is the Jesus teaching methodology. In this case, I will be drawing from the well of African Wisdom Myth from my village and kindred.
According to this piece of Wisdom; when God first created the earth, He gave human the power of free will. Now every living thing/group comprising of more than a single person needs to have a leader. That was the case with the first human body God created. The body needed a leader to run its affairs, a leader capable enough to maintain its physical, psychological, spiritual, and moral balance. A leader with enough love to supply equally the needs of every part according to their abilities and needs, wise enough to distribute positions so that everyone would share into the affairs of running the body, and powerful enough to keep control over dissidents.
Before proceeding further I want to bring back home the reality of mismanage talents/gifts also from the biblical point of view. Since we are talking leadership here I want us to examine the lives of two very powerful leaders in the Bible, King David and Saul. Again I will be relying on crosswalk devotion "Discover The Book” to help me with this part of my narrative.
" These two men towered over their generations. These two men held the highest offices to be had on earth. Yet from their privileged position one is elevated to heavenly proportions and the other slips hellishly down.
One started a royal line that shall never end. Even to this day his name is spoken and sung with the joys of heaven. The other ended his miserable earthly life apostate, hardened and distant from God. Blinded by bitterness, driven by pride, shackled by fear he spends his last supper with a witch at Satan's side, dines on an ox roasted by a fire that would soon roast his tormented soul.
David and Saul Contrasted
Yes, King Saul and King David are a striking contrast in so many ways.
King Saul was a colossal misfit because he refused to learn God's way to deal with sin. He was a prince of a man and a demon of a man. He was a study in paradoxes. Saul was a total contradiction in God's sight:
• From man's perspective he was tall but, in God's sight he was very short of God's plan;
• Humanly speaking he was quite handsome outwardly, but when his heart was exposed as the Lord sees, he had an ugly heart of sin.
• His body was physically strong but within that body was incredible spiritual weakness.
• As king he was among the richest people of Israel, but his real condition was utter spiritual bankruptcy.
• Saul look healthy on the outside but the cancer of sin was rotting him internally.
• God says who we really are spiritually is far more crucial than what we look like on the outside! "
Let’s return to our original narrative. Gifts and talents are now in action during this very exciting election season for the parts of the body. Everyone has forgotten their Creator because of the Free Will that was given by God. There were two contenders for the position of President, Mouth and Stomach. As you are aware, mouth is wide and red with shining teeth and a wonderful tongue and He had a deep sweet bass when he spoke. Who on the body could compare with his handsomeness and distinct personality? What about stomach? Physically he was nothing compare to mouth, round and with nothing outward for people to see. Looking at that round skin and seeing nothing on the outside, couple with the fact that he could not speak a word was a very great disadvantage to him.
How would he convinced the parts of the body that he carry all the vital organs under that round ugly skin? How would he tell them that because of their high sensitivity and dedicate nature, God had entrusted them to him? How could he explain that he was the only one fit enough to rule the parts of the body and unite them for the purposed that God created them? The only sound that came out of stomach was the sound of air (because mouth refuses to work for him). And you know that the body surely did not want of a dumb / bobo Leader.
Mouth for his part uses his communication talents to carry the crowd wild. He told them that he was the right candidate for the position. He promised them all the best and even described to them how he would set up his government if elected, and the gains the body would receive. He explained to brain that if he voted for him, he would occupy the position of vice president. In fact Brain would really be the one in charge of the day to day activities; monitoring and issuing orders to every section, he promise ears the position of Ministers of information, in charge of taking in and relaying information to brain. He promised eyes and nose the securities positions, working as national security and police in coordination with brain. He promised hands the position of Ministers of defense, charging them to be in readiness to defend the body at all times. He finally promised the last position to legs, who would serve as ministers of transportation, wherever the body wanted to go they were responsible. But in his government he left out two parts. When the election was held mouth carries the day. But was it God’s plan for the body to work as mouth described? Was mouth really the one capable of ruling the body? What would the two do? As you can see God bless mouth with a great talent. Lets returned to the two great kings a little :
"Saul's Trail of Damning Disobedience:
• Saul was presumptuous with God's Grace. He intrudes into office of priest 1 Sam 13.8-10.
• Saul was impatient with God's Timing. There he was alone, his military resources running out, Saul only saw the ritual as important and not the faith that prompts obedience I Samuel 13:11-12. To offer sacrifices was not legal for Saul:
• GOD HAD A CHOSEN TIME: 1 Samuel 10:8 "You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do." NKJV The crisis of the moment revealed what Saul was really like on the inside. It revealed his character. His character was one that disobeyed God in the crisis. He was his own boss, the Lord had not become his Master. His goals were more important than the Lord's. His reputation was more important than God's.
• GOD HAD A CHOSEN PLACE Deuteronomy 12:13 "Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; 14 "but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. NKJV
• GOD DEMANDS OBEDIENCE: Saul had plenty of excuses but Samuel gets to the heart of the problem as he says, 1 Samuel 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. NKJV
• SAUL WAS CARELESS WITH GOD'S TRUTH. he had God's words (he had prophesied under the power of God's Spirit in (I Samuel 10: ; 19:20) but not His thoughts. Because of this he took everything as a sign for what he had planned to do. He thought (23:7) God had delivered David into his murderous hands. When you are out of touch with the Lord only confusion follows.
• HIS REPENTANCE TO GOD WAS FALSE. He had ungodly regret rather than godly mourning 1 Samuel 15:30 Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God." NKJV
• HIS RELATIONSHIP TO GOD WAS FALSE. Saul actually admits his lack of a personal knowledge God. 1 Samuel 15:30 Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God." NKJV
• HIS HEART BEFORE GOD WAS FALSE. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." NKJV