It's no coincidence

This is from Romans 12...
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Sometimes we get distracted. I get distracted by my own negativity a lot of the time. I'm missing out, aren't I? The verses above prove that. We all have different gifts we're supposed to use. And whatever they are, love should be at the core of those gifts, and our actions. No exceptions.

Funny, I used to think some people were better at showing love than others, and that that was ok. But the truth is, though we all have different gifts, we are all called to love sincerely. If we're not good at loving, it isn't because we weren't blessed with that gift, it's because we haven't embraced our gift properly. But before embracing this gift, we need to learn how to become like the giver, so that when we share our gifts with others we do so with the same kind of love.

It's no coincidence that those verses follow each other. I never really noticed the significance before, though.