I Corinthians 12:4-27
Today was an opportunity for me to share what God put on my heart this morning as I led the Monday morning devotional at World Team. I really struggled with what to share leading up to this. I felt like my brain was all over the place and I was having a hard time connecting the dots.
I ended up going to a passage in the Bible that is rich in application, especially for a missions organization - I Corinthians 12. We remember that it has something to do with gifts because it leads into the love chapter (13) about how we are to use our gifts. But it is in this chapter where the apostle Paul give the analogy of the body. Our physical bodies and the body of Christ, or His church, function in much the same way. And so this morning, I was the mouth.
What led me to this was thinking about how I connect with the objective of the mission - to plant reproducing churches among unreached people groups. To reach people, you have to love them first. It’s no coincidence then that chapter 12 talking about gifts and using our talents for the church precedes chapter 13 about what love is. Missions is a labor of love to those we serve.
The three main points I took away from chapter 12 were the importance of recognizing the different gifts and talents we all possess. We need people who can crunch the numbers, expand the vision, work on the field and support the workers (in no particular order). Secondly, the unity of the body is evident in the passage, which also points to the unity of the Trinity. Verse 3 says, “…no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” So, we see the Trinity at work in our own hearts. One God and three persons - it is a mystery. Finally, as we each use our gifts in accordance to our place in the body, we are to minister with love. Both to those we serve and also among ourselves as brothers and sisters of one body under Christ.
When you have to share a devotional and are not sure what to say, go with reading a chapter in the Bible and taking three key points from the passage. Keep it simple and remember that people are only going to remember a few things you say. It also helps to leave some ideas undeveloped so that people can meditate on the application in their own lives.
Filed under: Application, Devotions, Missions, Unity
