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Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
May God's blessings be with you this special Tuesday, dear Friend! I pray that God further help us discover our part and role in His body to grow His kingdom!
The gift of comparison usually leads us down a negative path. We sometimes overthink things, usually as we're comparing ourselves to others and we usually end us frustrated or disappointed or angry because we think lesser of ourselves compared to another person. And sadly, this happens in the church as well. And it was happening in the city of Corinth and people were tell the Apostle Paul that they believed they didn't quite measure up when comparing themselves to others. And this was happening among workers and servants within the work of the church! Paul wrote the above to answer that all people, all workers, are important in the work of the Lord. He compared it to the human body, and in the entire text printed below, he addresses how he saw the importance of each member of the body and the same is true among the workers in Christ's Church.
The work falls under the major categories that Paul shares: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers, helpers, leaders, and those who spoke in tongues. All important, all working together, each seeking to better what they do, to better the Church. The worst are not even listed; those who wait for their phone to ring - waiting for the call from the church to ask them to volunteer or work in the church. Paul would have said, "the phone works both ways - you can make calls as well as receive calls, so call!"
Whatever it is you are doing for the Lord, do it with all your heart. Seek to be better at what you offer. If you happen to be one of those phone-call-waiters, pick up the phone and call the church to ask what it is you can do.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, there is much to do in Your Church, awaken in us new joy and vision to do better at what we are doing now. Awaken those who snooze as they wait for "the call," let it be they who call the church to offer themselves to work in Your house. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Strive for the greater gift you can be for the Lord Jesus Christ!
Eradio Valverde
COMPLETE TEXT: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
