“Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others” (1 Peter 4:10 GW).
Your abilities are for the benefit of other people. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others” (GW).
Nobody is good at everything. You need me, and I need you. Nobody has every talent. There are no perfect people who can say to the world, “I don’t need anybody else.” We need each other. We were made to work in teams! That’s why you need a small group and a church family. We’re better together.
Here’s the key to success: Build on your strengths so that your weaknesses become irrelevant. Every successful person does this. Just work on what you’re good at, and make it better.
Here’s a second rule of success: Team up with people who are good at what you’re not good at. Team up with people who complement you. Everybody has something to contribute. Nobody has it all together. We need each other.
This, by the way, is one of the purposes of marriage. In marriage we’re put together to complement each other’s strengths and to compensate for each other’s weaknesses. What happens when we don’t compensate for each other’s weaknesses? We criticize each other. That’s not what marriage is for. Marriage puts two sinners together, so there can be no perfect relationships. But in a marriage, you know the other’s weaknesses, so you can help compensate for them.
For example, take bill paying and budgeting. Who should do it? The one who does it better! The Bible doesn’t tell us who should do one role over another. Just figure out who does it better, and in doing that, you compensate for each other’s weaknesses. That’s why I always let my wife, Kay, drive. She’s a much more careful driver than I am.
This also applies to your work. If you want your business to be effective, here’s the key: Staff by SHAPE. Help people discover their SHAPE — their Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences — and put them in the positions they’re good at. When you do that, you don’t have to manage them and you won’t have to motivate them. Why? Because they’re doing what they love to do, and they’re good at it.
God wants every person to use their abilities to help other people. We need each other!
Talk It Over
How has someone with a SHAPE different from yours supported, encouraged, or helped you?
How do you think your SHAPE can support, encourage, or help others?
How does understanding the way people are shaped help you appreciate our differences?
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