WHY it matters//
All of us have gifts and talents that we are born with and others that are given by God. We get to choose who we glorify in the way we dedicate our efforts. We have to decide if our calling is about us or about Jesus. As followers of Christ we are called to glorify God and lead others to Jesus with our lives, so the way we use our gifts and talents really matters. Our calling is the unique way that we fulfill our purpose and the commission that Jesus has given us.

WHAT it's talking about//
1 Corinthians was written by Paul between 53-57 AD, most likely while he was in Ephesus. The church in Corinth was relatively new (around 5 years old) and it had many issues to work out. One of the primary concerns of Paul in this letter is the churches use of Spiritual gifts in ways that did not honor God or serve others. He is also helping them to understand that all the gifts are from the same God and not from different entities (helping them to let go of a paganistic worldview). One of the overall themes in 1 Corinthians is Paul’s effort to help the believers realize that how they live affects their ability to be witnesses to those outside of the church. He also emphasizes the importance of this priority as a follower of Jesus.

(See also: Genesis 2:7,15,19 for a more full understanding of identity and purpose tied to calling.)

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 

5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 

6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 

8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 

9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 

10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 

11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

(See also Genesis 2:7,15,19- God creates Adam, then gives him assignments to do that he is enabled by God to accomplish.)