"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" - 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV).
There is a saying as clockwork as a human body. In its pure form the body is a majestic creation by the eternal God made up of different parts each one performing a task of supreme value. Left on their own none is of much use. Only when joined together is there a symmetry that puts every life in motion.
The Apostle Paul alluded to this in his letter to the church in Corinth which was splintering on egoistic trips of who is the greatest. A feeling of superiority had cropped up based on individual gifting. Gently, he urged the unity of believers, pointing out, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ" (1 Corinthian 12:1).
Why would one be gifted with singing as another is with teaching! The answer is to build the church. "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance" (vv 27-28). The multiplicity of gifts which are being used in the service of God's work is what makes a great church.
The mistake so often made is when rather than focusing on this simple truth, of using our different set of gifting for building the church, rivalry and all its ills of envy sets in, ultimately causing grievous harm to the body, to a point of death. Such should never happen. Let us use our gifts harmoniously to build the church.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of heaven and earth, as you have blessed each believer with a gift, may our individual focus be on how to use the various individual gifts for the building of the church.
Related upcoming events
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
