That being the case, we mustn’t berate ourselves by thinking we personally do not have strong enough faith to pray for someone and have that someone be healed instantaneously. If you cannot do that, then you do not have the gift of prophecy and/or healing. It has nothing to do with faith itself, for you certainly believe in your heart that God is able to heal miraculously.

What then? Should we cease praying for others to be healed? As the Apostle Paul would say, By no means! Continue to pray diligently for others but stop beating yourself up whenever God says no. It is not a lack of faith on your part when God says no; He just had different plans for that person than you did. It takes just as much faith to accept a "no" answer as it does to accept a "yes" answer. Both require belief [faith] in the sovereignty of God, "who fashions all things after the counsel of his own will" (Ephesians 1:11). And keep in mind also that though the gift of healing means you can lay hands on someone and that person will be healed then and there, any Christian can pray for healing and receive a miracle. Sometimes it just takes years to be healed. So we must never cease to pray for healing. The point is that a healing that comes after days, weeks, months, or even years of prayer is just as much of a miracle as an instant healing!

Let's now consider the meaning of "a measure of faith."

It is true that God has given each of us a measure of faith. I used to think that this meant that some Christians have been given more faith than others, but I have come to realize that this “measure” of faith is actually to do with the distribution of spiritual gifts within the church [body] of Christ:

Romans 12:3-8 says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching; let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. If you have the gift of giving, you should not be comparing yourself to someone who has the gift of prophecy. If you have the gift of teaching, you should not be comparing yourself to the one who has the gift of mercy. Each specific gift is a measure of the broader, universal Christian faith. One gift [measure of faith] is not superior to another gift, but each gift [measure] works together as a whole; as a body. Just as the human body needs it eyes and ears, it also needs its hands and feet.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game, to feel ashamed perhaps because you don’t tend to give a lot of your money away when your Christian brother gives away more than he keeps. But he isn’t more righteous than you because of this: you simply have two different gifts. Nor does he have more faith than you, for you both share the same faith! (Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.)

If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. This verse does not mean that the more faith you have the better you will be able to prophesy, although some people may receive more words of prophecy than others. When taken in context with the rest of chapter, it becomes clear that “in proportion to his faith” means giving your very best according to your ability and your means. i.e. if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

So then, from this day forward, do not compare yourself to Christians with different spiritual gifts than you. It is not about he or she having more faith than you or you having more faith than them. You simply have different gifts!

What of the Christian brother or sister who shares the same gift as you but seems to do it better? i.e. prophesies more, gives more, teaches more, etc. Is this a sign of them having “more faith” than you? Consider Jesus’ words to Peter in John 21:20-22: "Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] was following them . . . When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.' ” What is that to you? You must follow me. In other words, mind your own business. :) Each of us is at a different place in our walk with God and we are each individually accountable to God. We all come from different childhoods and different experiences. God has a different plan for each of our lives. We each have a unique purpose with individual talents and levels of intelligence. We all have differing levels of finances, resources and time. So, that being said, we shouldn't compare our faith and our gifts to that of another Christian’s unless it is for the purpose of edification. "Each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).

NEXT ARTICLE: Weak Faith

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:

The Prayer of Faith

Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed

Though He Slay Me, Yet Will I Trust Him

Genie in a Bottle 

(c) 2007 - Bekah Ferguson

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One person has commented on this article.

 1. mesure of faith
prathibhakumar, Unregistered

That was a good content and good interpretation, u explained it very keenly. I got revelation of what true faith is.... Thank you sister, keep writing more.

with regards
Prathibha kuamr.k

 Posted 2010-05-12 03:22:24

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Comment(s) :	[quote=prathibhakumar]That was a good content and good interpretation, u explained it very keenly. I got revelation of what true faith is.... Thank you sister, keep writing more. with regards Prathibha kuamr.k[/quote]

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