The Monday After • Jan 12, 2026
When God Gifts Someone Else
Darren Carlson
There are many people in my life who are simply better than I am at many things. They communicate more clearly. They lead more naturally. People listen to them more easily. We all have people like this in our lives.
And let's be honest. Sometimes the most natural response is not to admire them but instead to be threatened by them.
So what should we do with them?
The Corinthian church had a "favorite preacher" problem. Some were lining up behind Paul, others behind Apollos—turning gifts into competition and ministry into a popularity contest (see 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4).
If anyone would have been tempted to protect his platform, it would have been Paul. And yet, when we get to the end of the letter, we see something quietly stunning.
Paul actively encourages Apollos to return to Corinth and minister there (1 Corinthians 16:12). Even though Apollos is hesitant at the moment, Paul isn't. Paul isn't trying to keep Apollos away from "his" people. He isn't managing the optics. He's not insecure about comparisons.
He's secure enough in Christ to say, in effect: "Corinth needs your gifts. Go serve them."
That is a rare kind of leadership—and a deeply Christian kind.
A church doesn't belong to the leader; it belongs to Christ. And gifts aren't trophies; they're tools. Paul already told them, "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants... I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:5–6).
In other words, if someone is "better," that's not a threat—it's God's provision. And if people prefer them, that's not your funeral—it may be God's kindness to the church.
Your worth isn't measured by being the best—it's secured by belonging to Christ. So when someone comes along whom God has gifted, don't sideline them, but recommend them. The goal isn't that people notice you. The goal is that people encounter Christ, grow, and flourish.
Sometimes God answers that prayer through someone with stronger gifts than you.
My friend Matt helped plant an Afghan church. As you might guess from his name, Matt isn't Afghan—nor were any of the others who helped launch the church. But from the very beginning, their goal wasn't to hold on to power; it was to serve.
As the church grew, Matt and his team stayed focused on one thing: raising up Afghan leaders who could one day take the reins. And they did.
Ahmad and Ali were among the men they discipled. In time, Matt and his team laid hands on Ahmad and commissioned him as pastor. Eventually, Ahmad raised up other leaders too. I met them one Wednesday afternoon at their "servants' Bible study"—a weekly gathering for the church's leadership. Everyone in the room but me was Afghan.
And Matt? He now serves under Ahmad, taking direction from the very leaders he once trained.
There are a lot of books on leadership out there. This is a good one.
Thanks for checking in.
Sign up here to receive Darren Carlson's The Monday After email. This weekly newsletter is designed to encourage your faith and share inspiring stories of what God is doing around the world. Each edition features a short devotional, a story that will give you a glimpse of His work in unexpected places, and a resource you might find helpful.
4.13.26Guard Rails on Calling Someone Divisive
Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. If you know me, you know I spend a lot of time thinking about what unity actually […]
4.6.26What was Judas Thinking?
There is something uniquely unsettling about Judas's betrayal. This was not a stranger in the crowd. This was a man who had walked with Jesus for three years—shared meals, witnessed miracles, and even performed them. When he finally made his move, he did it with a kiss. "The one I will […]
3.30.26Influencers In the Flesh
Do you know the people who have influenced you most? Stop and think about it honestly. If you made a list, would the names on it belong to people who actually know you—who know your name, your failures, your kitchen, your kids? For most of us, the honest answer is uncomfortable. […]
3.16.26The Death of Gentle Parenting
Maybe those strict parents weren't so bad after all. For the past decade, a particular parenting mood has seeped into the air: be less authoritative, more collaborative. Give kids space. Negotiate everything. Process every emotion endlessly. Never "rupture connection." Therapists and self-proclaimed experts — thirty-year-old moms with one child and […]
