I wrote this a couple years ago (April 5th 2009), while in college at Grand Valley State University. After rereading it, I thought it coule be an encouragement to you today!
1 Corinthians 12
I hate Satan. He works in subtle ways to destroy us, the church. Many people have heard of being a part of “the body of Christ.” It is a great visual and emphasizes the importance of each individual’s talent and gifts which God has given to them to help the body function. “If the whole body were and eye, where would sense of hearing be? If the whole body were and ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” [1 Corinthians 12: 17-20].
Keeping this in mind, we should be thankful for a couple reasons. First, that God has given us each a special gift that He determines as the best fit for us uniquely. [12:11] We need to first identify what spiritual gift God has given to us, and then continually work to refine and sharpen our ability to use that gift as a part of the body of Christ. A spiritual workout if you will. Legs won’t be strengthened and defined if they don’t go for runs and through training. We need to be good stewards, practice and use the gifts God has given to us each individually to help in the movement of the body of Christ. Not only the body of Christ, but for us each individually as well. I have heard that spiritual gift development does not completely take shape till your mid thirties, and if that is true, it is not an excuse for us younger generations to be lazy and not search or try out roles within the body. Serving, teaching, administration, faith, prayer, musical talent, evangelism… etc. It is important to note all the different roles within the church and our dependence on others’ gifts to work together, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring God glory.
Next, it is essential to not over look or compare our gifts with others. Each gift is vital to the function and development of the body. God has created us each individually with different gifts that coincide with one another as if we are a team, unified through the Spirit, to bring Him honor and praise. “…There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” [12:25] Prayer warriors should be thankful for the musically talented for their ability to lead through the songs of praise for our Lord. The musically talented should be grateful for those who have been given the ability to preach and speak truth and encouragement to the body. In turn, preachers and speakers should be appreciative for prayer warriors covering the church in prayer. It is crucial that each role sees the value and imperativeness of all the different spiritual gifts in order for growth within the church.
I think this is where Satan is at work. Division within the body is the root of his plans. He causes dysfunction and creates barriers of distraction so we loose focus on the eternal perspective which should always be where our eyes concentrate. It is easy to see the flaws and feel annoyed by others, which is exactly what Satan wants us to do. He uses these instances to bring us down, apart from the body and helps us “mellow in sin.” We are then caught up in the imperfections of human nature where pride, judgmentalness, selfishness and hunger for our own praise, to name a few, take hold of our view toward our brothers and sisters. Satan finds victory in dragging us down through these actions.
We need to work together, as a body, unified through the Holy Spirit, to fight against Satan and the division he desires to bring against the church. Together, not individually, we are apart of the body of Christ, who has already taken victory over Satan. May that be and encouragement to all! We cannot let Satan pull us or other believers down to sway us from the truth. As a unified team, we need to keep each other accountable and encourage one another to keep our eyes focused on our purpose in life, to bring honor and glory to our Savior through sharing the gospel with others, singing songs of praise, spending time deep in prayer and reaching out to those in need.
Don’t give into the lies Satan tells you. His desire is to get us alone, separated from God and the fellowship of others, to distract us from the wonderful plans God has prepared for us to do with His help. God created us all to work together as a body, each with special talents and gifts given by the Holy Spirit. It is also important that the glory, honor and praise goes to Him who deserves it, who has taken victory over Satan through His unconditional love, shown to us as He suffered on the cross.
I am thankful for the body of believers God has place around me to challenge me, to show me love, to enjoy, to laugh with, to serve, to be served, to cry with, to share life with, to encourage me, to hold me accountable, to be real with and to engage in furthering His Kingdom…
1 Corinthians 12
I hate Satan. He works in subtle ways to destroy us, the church. Many people have heard of being a part of “the body of Christ.” It is a great visual and emphasizes the importance of each individual’s talent and gifts which God has given to them to help the body function. “If the whole body were and eye, where would sense of hearing be? If the whole body were and ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” [1 Corinthians 12: 17-20].
Keeping this in mind, we should be thankful for a couple reasons. First, that God has given us each a special gift that He determines as the best fit for us uniquely. [12:11] We need to first identify what spiritual gift God has given to us, and then continually work to refine and sharpen our ability to use that gift as a part of the body of Christ. A spiritual workout if you will. Legs won’t be strengthened and defined if they don’t go for runs and through training. We need to be good stewards, practice and use the gifts God has given to us each individually to help in the movement of the body of Christ. Not only the body of Christ, but for us each individually as well. I have heard that spiritual gift development does not completely take shape till your mid thirties, and if that is true, it is not an excuse for us younger generations to be lazy and not search or try out roles within the body. Serving, teaching, administration, faith, prayer, musical talent, evangelism… etc. It is important to note all the different roles within the church and our dependence on others’ gifts to work together, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring God glory.
Next, it is essential to not over look or compare our gifts with others. Each gift is vital to the function and development of the body. God has created us each individually with different gifts that coincide with one another as if we are a team, unified through the Spirit, to bring Him honor and praise. “…There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” [12:25] Prayer warriors should be thankful for the musically talented for their ability to lead through the songs of praise for our Lord. The musically talented should be grateful for those who have been given the ability to preach and speak truth and encouragement to the body. In turn, preachers and speakers should be appreciative for prayer warriors covering the church in prayer. It is crucial that each role sees the value and imperativeness of all the different spiritual gifts in order for growth within the church.
I think this is where Satan is at work. Division within the body is the root of his plans. He causes dysfunction and creates barriers of distraction so we loose focus on the eternal perspective which should always be where our eyes concentrate. It is easy to see the flaws and feel annoyed by others, which is exactly what Satan wants us to do. He uses these instances to bring us down, apart from the body and helps us “mellow in sin.” We are then caught up in the imperfections of human nature where pride, judgmentalness, selfishness and hunger for our own praise, to name a few, take hold of our view toward our brothers and sisters. Satan finds victory in dragging us down through these actions.
We need to work together, as a body, unified through the Holy Spirit, to fight against Satan and the division he desires to bring against the church. Together, not individually, we are apart of the body of Christ, who has already taken victory over Satan. May that be and encouragement to all! We cannot let Satan pull us or other believers down to sway us from the truth. As a unified team, we need to keep each other accountable and encourage one another to keep our eyes focused on our purpose in life, to bring honor and glory to our Savior through sharing the gospel with others, singing songs of praise, spending time deep in prayer and reaching out to those in need.
Don’t give into the lies Satan tells you. His desire is to get us alone, separated from God and the fellowship of others, to distract us from the wonderful plans God has prepared for us to do with His help. God created us all to work together as a body, each with special talents and gifts given by the Holy Spirit. It is also important that the glory, honor and praise goes to Him who deserves it, who has taken victory over Satan through His unconditional love, shown to us as He suffered on the cross.
I am thankful for the body of believers God has place around me to challenge me, to show me love, to enjoy, to laugh with, to serve, to be served, to cry with, to share life with, to encourage me, to hold me accountable, to be real with and to engage in furthering His Kingdom…
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