March 27, 2009 Diversity
Today’s Bible Reading: Judges 1–3; 1 Corinthians 12
Scripture Focus:
1 Corinthians 12:18–20 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He please. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
Observation:
Just today Charlie and I were talking about how a team is usually made up of people with differing strengths and capabilities. A person can be very strong in one area and weak in another, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, Paul has the same perspective in 1 Corinthians 12. His argument is that each member of the church is different and has unique spiritual gifts given by God. We’d be in trouble if everyone had the same gift! He goes on to say we shouldn’t look down on anyone else for not being gifted in the same way we are, nor should we feel less worthy if we don’t have the same gift as someone else. ALL the gifts are needed for the church to function properly.
Application:
This is a great reminder to appreciate the unique giftings of other members of my church, and not to expect one person to be a well-rounded person that does everything well. It also reminds me to search out the gifts God has given me and make sure I’m using them to contribution to the life of my church.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for making me (and other church members) unique and necessary. May I appreciate my brothers and sisters in the Lord for who they are and make sure I concentrate on MY area of gifting.
