May 29, 2020
“There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.” (1 Corinthians 12:5–6, CEV)
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to build up the body. So far this week we’ve thought about how the Spirit creates and renews (Monday), the Spirit Unites (Tuesday), the Spirit Inspires (Wednesday), and the Spirit speaks the language of our heart (Thursday). Today we hear that the Spirit gives gifts.
It is my birthday tomorrow and I am looking forward to the gifts I will get. If I get something I really like, I might be tempted to show it off, and play with it. If I get a gift I really need, I will be happier in the long run but more importantly so will those around me. My family, the church, and even the community will benefit because my needs are met and I will be better able to serve others.
The gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are specific Spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues and we could get hung up on that and what it all means. More important is the broader principle of the passage. “… God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.” (1 Corinthians 12:6, CEV) The way God helps us is specific to us and the role God is calling us to play as part of the church, (the body or the people of God).
What is it that you are good at, that God could use for the Church’s life? What is it that the Spirit has worked in you, or given you, which you can use for helping people inside and outside the church grow in the love of God?
Whatever it is, that is what you should be doing, you should be using the gift, always remembering that what God provides, is for the building up of the church in love and size and not for you alone.
Lord help me to see your gift in me and open a way for me to use it for the building of your church, and the healing of the world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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