Saturday, March 12, 2011
I Corinthians 12: If We Are The Body
So 1 Corinthians 12 is all about the body of Christ. Here we have all these spiritual gifts which are compared to the different parts of the body. Without one, the others suffer. I realized I never thought about spiritual gifts in this way but it makes complete sense. Before I just thought of spiritual gifts as these amazing gifts that God has given us in order to better expand his kingdom. But when we come together and use our gifts alongside each other, we are like a body, working together in unison towards the same goal.
A person who has no legs is going to have a much harder time functioning in this world. The same goes for someone who has no eyes. But with the help of each other they can accomplish anything they set their hearts on. This is the same when it comes to our spiritual gifts. While you will be able to function alright on your own, having the support of those who have other gifts will make your journey not only easier but will take you farther in his kingdom. God has a purpose for your life and he is going to place the right people in your path.
Like 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." God gives different gifts to different people, based on how he wants to use that specific person for His good. You should never feel inferior to another person because you think they have a better spiritual gift than you. Each needs the others in order to be able to get the most out of it. No one person can stand on their own and that is the same with their spiritual gifts. "...God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." (1 Corinthians 12:18) Embrace what God has given you and look around to see how you can use your gifts together.
With all my love,
Beth
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There are many spiritual gifts. There are many parts of ministry. There are many different parts of the body (physical and body of Christ). In order for the physical body or the body of Christ to function effectively, we must unite and work together. For instance, the leg is useless for walking if the foot is not functioning properly. The same is true for the body of Christ. We must unite together in order to get things accomplished to advance the kingdom. But in order to unite we must begin to treat one another the way we want to be treated. WE ARE NOT ALONE! There are many different parts of the body of Christ to advance the kingdom and to help one another. Let’s begin to take Paul’s words to heart:
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We need to start praying for others when they are suffering like we would pray for ourselves if we were suffering.