[Lent 2020 Devotion] Mar. 27th, 2020 & Prayer Video

Scripture: I Corinthians 12:27 – 13:3 (CEB)

²⁷ You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. ²⁸ In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they? ³⁰ All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they? ³¹ Use your ambition to try to get the greater gifts. And I’m going to show you an even better way.

Love: the universal spiritual gift

13 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. ³ If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.

What does this passage mean to me/us?

Contributed by Mary and Jon Evens

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is so good. Every day we are surrounded by God’s good gifts. Gifts of shelter, love, beauty, and creation are ours to behold and to embrace. God is a giver of good gifts. God gives spiritual gifts, too. Learning to accept gifts from God is a way we can show our love for God. It is our responsibility to practice using our God-given gifts in ways of service, work, and for others.

The scripture reminds us that we make up the body of Christ. This means we are the hands of Christ, the feet of Christ, his heart, his ears, his eyes to (and for) the world. As part of being a child of God, we are given a gift and ability that we bring as part of the body of Christ. God has created each one of us for a unique and specific purpose. Are we taking time in prayer to ask God to help us discern our gifts and talents to use them toward the purpose God has designed for us? Have we embraced our gifts of preaching, teaching, witnessing, giving, serving, sharing our wisdom, or our gifts of knowledge? If we are feeling hesitant about sharing our gifts, let us return to the scripture and be reminded how to have confidence.

The scripture reminds us to avoid the pitfalls of comparing our gifts against the gifts that other members have. We are not supposed to be jealous of other’s gifts and abilities or to feel less useful than another. Think about your hands and feet for a moment. If we discovered that our feet were jealous of the work our hands can do, it would seem silly to us! While our feet and our hands are a part of our body, we need them for different purposes. The same is true for the body of Christ. We are to do our part to remain a loving contribution to whole body of Christ. We are to keep love at the center of what we do so that as the representation of the body of Christ to the world, it will be pleasing to God and following God’s will. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill up our hearts so we can become Christ to the world.

Prayer

Lord, help me to discern the unique gifts you have blessed me with. Please send the Holy Spirit to fill up my heart and allow me to be a part of the body of Christ for the world. Help me to act in love and to share this gift to others with boldness and confidence. Help me to see the way in which you have crafted me into the body of Christ and to accept your goodness, every day. I ask you give our congregation and all members of the body of Christ your heart, your guidance, and your Will to follow. Thank you for giving me the ultimate gift of eternal life. Thank you for continuing to give good gifts. Lord, all the time you are good. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

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