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…
