BIBLE PASSAGE:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the faith God has distributed to each
of you. For just as each of us has one body with many
members, and these members do not all have the same
function; so in Christ we, though many, form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
(Romans 12:3-5)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever had the feeling that you just don’t ‘fit in’? It’s the
kind of uncomfortable feeling you can have when being around a
new group of people, or even when you are with a group of friends.
Sure, they are your friends, and you are having conversations, but
something just seems to be missing.
It can cause you to second guess everything you say.
Did they take it the way I meant it?
Were they offended by what I said?
Do I need to do some damage repair?
The truth is, we can make all kinds of assumptions
when we don’t feel we are a part of the group.
The good thing about a sincere Christian family of believers is,
we all are a part of the same family! We all ‘fit in’ because we
all have the same priority in our lives, which is, to worship and
serve the Lord.
Each one of us serve a very important function, and that means
we not only WANT to ‘fit in’, but each of us NEED to ‘fit in’ in
order to complete the family body, and make it whole.
Paul reminds us of our importance as members God’s family:
So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and
each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts, according to the grace given to each
of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in
accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve;
if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then
give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously;
if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy,
do it cheerfully.
(Romans 12:5-8)
Not only does Paul remind us of the gifts God has given to each
of us uniquely, but he also encourages us to be actively using our
Spiritual Gift in serving the Lord. When each member of God’s
family is using their Spiritual Gift, the church body is complete.
But if one is not using their gift, the church body has a void and
is incomplete. Using our gift is greater than ourselves, it affects
the entire body of God’s family.
Why does He give different gifts to each person? Because He made
us and He knows our capabilities. We should be honored that our
God loves us and wants us to be a part of what He is doing. We
should be inspired to:
(1) Discover the spiritual gift God has given us.
(2) Actively use the gift He has given us to honor and serve Him.
Since God assures us that we will receive a Spiritual Gift from Him
at the time we receive His salvation, then we should be concerned
if we don’t know which gift He has given us.
Additionally, God has promised to give us the Holy Spirit when He saves
us. He knows that as Christian followers of Jesus, we will have many new
challenges navigating a world full of sin. He knows we lack the strength to
live a righteous life on our own, so He has given us a much needed ‘Helper’.
We should create a ‘welcoming and righteous environment’ where the Holy
Spirit can flourish in our lives.
As our Creator, God has such a great love and understanding of who
we are, and the capabilities we have, so He gives us these two gifts to
mesh into our lives. They are not gifts to simply admire and put on a
shelf to collect dust. We have a responsibility to invite the Holy Spirit
into our day-to-day living, and to actively seek and use our Spiritual
Gift.
Many people have questions about the validity of their salvation.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? We want to be sure that our eternal
destiny is in Heaven. These two gifts from God can help us to
develop confidence of our salvation.
God promises these gifts to us AFTER we receive His salvation, so
when Holy Spirit is guiding our decisions and we are actively using
our Spiritual Gift, we should be assured that we are saved, right?
However, if we don’t have these gifts from God, then we should be
rightly concerned about whether or not we are a part of God’s family.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our efforts to become more like Jesus
(which means we are being transformed to become more righteous).
He will even voice our prayers for us when we have concerns but
struggle expressing them to the Lord.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
(Romans 8:26)
The Holy Spirit also gives us wisdom and guidance for using
our Spiritual Gifts to serve God and develop a closer fellowship
with Him. Our responsibility is to invite Him into our lives, Look
at these words from Jesus:
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
(Luke 11;13)
Here are some questions we should ask ourselves:
– Have I received the Holy Spirit?
– Have I allowed the Holy Spirit to become active
in my words, thoughts, habits and actions (everything)?
– If the Holy Spirit is not influencing my life, then why not?
– Do I know which spiritual gift God has given me?
– If I don’t know the gift He has given me,
then what am I going to do about it?
– If I do know the gift He has given me, am I
actively using it in the way He wants me to use it?
– If I am not using it, then why not?
Paul gives us some guidelines to keep in mind as members of God’s family.
First of all, he says we should be honest and
focus on what is good (in ourselves, and in others).
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good.
(Romans 12:9)
Next, he stresses the importance of devotion,
love, honor and selflessness in relationships.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
(Romans 12:10)
Next, he tells us that we should allow the Holy Spirit to be
vibrant and active in our lives, so we will continually use
the Spiritual Gift (or gifts) the Lord has given us.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep
your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
(Romans 12:11)
Next, he tells us to be joyful, maintain
hope, have patience, and pray continuously.
Be joyful in hope, patient
in affliction, faithful in prayer.
(Romans 12:12)
Lastly, he tells us to be considerate of the needs
of others, and to interact with our Godly family.
Share with the Lord’s people
who are in need. Practice hospitality.
(Romans 12:13)
Of course, if we are to follow these guidelines from Paul, we need
to be frequently engaged with our ‘Godly family’. If we don’t have
constant contact with other believers, then we will find it can be
awkward to do some of the things Paul has given us as guidelines.
Not only that, but if God’s family members are living in silos, how
will each one know the needs of the others?
Paul says that we each have important gifts and functions. That
means if any pieces are missing, the body is incomplete. Imagine
getting into your car to go somewhere, but your eyes decided to
stay at home. Not only would it impact your own plans, but it
could have a devastating impact on others.
That’s the kind of negative influence we can have on others when
we fail to allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts, words,
and actions…and, when we are not actively use the Spiritual Gift
we received from God.
ACTION:
Aren’t you glad to know you are important to God, and to your
Godly family? Isn’t it great to know that you do ‘fit in’ with others?
Aren’t you excited to know that God has given you the Holy Spirit,
and a special Spiritual Gift for your unique capabilities? Have you
been actively using the gift He has given you? Do you support and
encourage other members of your family of believers?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that, no
matter how I might feel around others, I can be confident
that I am important to You. Thank You for the gifts You
have given me so I can become an active and integral part
of Your family. Teach me how important it is for me to
encourage and support my fellow believers. Help me to
realize the positive impact I can have on the of lives others.
Thank You for the instructions You have given us for
interacting with those who belong to You, and with others.”
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