Tuesday, August 7, 2018

So, Which Gift?

Tuesday, August 7, 2018
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.  Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:  first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.  Are we all apostles?  Are we all prophets?  Are we all teachers?  Do we all have the power to do miracles?  Do we all have the gift of healing?  Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages?  Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages?  Of course not!  So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.  
1 Corinthians 12:27-31(NLT)
The body needs toes…trust me!  Fifteen years ago, it was becoming really difficult for me to walk and not cry at the same time.  The painful joint in my big toe had deteriorated from injuries and lack of attention by the toe’s owner.  My doctor tried injecting stuff to make the toe forget its’ pain, but it didn’t help.  The final resort was the knife!  That day on the operating table, my surgeon took my toe apart, put it back together, and then awakened me to go home (I’m glad he got that in the right order!). 
There’s nothing medicine can do to keep a body in working condition past the time when God calls – but, for now I walk without pain in that foot.  The point is my foot, and all those toes, are important to the health and function of my body; when my toe is in pain, my whole body commiserates.
The Apostle Paul makes this same analogy for the body of Christ, the church.  There are skills associated with spiritual gifts.  Not everyone is an apostle, or pastor-teacher, or gifted to help in extraordinary ways.  But every part of the body of Christ, like a toe in the physical body, is there for a reason God deemed necessary.  The usefulness of my big toe makes it very noticeable when pain is present.  Toes are the primary base of stability for the whole body, and the big toe, along with its neighbor, are the strongest, most durable in the body.[2]  Toes also help lengthen and quicken our stride when we push-off from a standstill; running fast requires toes!
So, enough about toes (lest they become prideful over all this attention); what about all the other parts of the body?  Obviously, we haven’t got space for the whole medical journal here – but the point isn’t hidden; we are put together by God in amazing ways.  All the parts of the physical body serve a purpose, and in the analogy of physical body and spiritual body, there is no mistake about God creating His church with such diverse, and incredibly useful/valuable parts. 
Paul gives us the shopping list of gifts, and even puts them in a kind of spiritual pecking order.  But, in the end his advice is for us to desire the most helpful gifts.  What I believe the apostle was getting at is when God selects you to have a special gift, it is for a special purpose that you will fulfill better than anyone else in the place He has called you to serve.  God gave me a life’s-task to be a pastor-teacher, teaching God’s Word and cooperating with God’s saints to put God’s Word in action.  If I put that aside to be an evangelist, or hold meetings of faith-healing, or build skyscrapers, or play third base for the Braves, or run for president, I will not be as useful in the kingdom as when I stick to preaching and teaching.  That is my most helpful use of what God gave me; it is how I am to be a steward of His gifts.
And so, there it is:  the most helpful of gifts are those gifts used unselfishly in the service of God…the One Who gave you those gifts.
For You Today
A word about the church, and your job, and your family, and your school, and your circle of friends, dfer, and every place you find people:
Take care of the body’s toes.
Just like a plumber needs an electrician, and an architect, and the general contractor to make everything fit together; your church, job, school, family, and friend circles consist of every part, large, small, seen, or hidden – some with greater purposes, and some with lesser – but all…All….ALL…ALL serving God’s purposes with value and dignity.
So, which gift should you be pursuing?  Well, what do YOU think of toes?
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

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