Day 39 - Be the Best You Can Be

The Spirit gives us gifts—each one of us—that bless the Body.

Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

When you see a newborn, especially your own, aren’t you in awe of God’s miracle of life? When I read what the psalmist says in the above verse, I know that God is amazing and His power is awesome.

In our study yesterday, we read how the Holy Spirit has given each one of us gifts as He sees fit. We don’t all have the same gifts and some people have more than one. Turn again to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Paul compares the body of Christ—His church—to our human bodies. Each physical body part functions in a specific way—not like any other part—so that, working together, we are complete. Likewise, in the church each member has a different function. And when we work together, we are complete.

The church is composed of many types of people from a variety of backgrounds with a multitude of gifts and abilities. But despite the differences, all believers have one thing in common—faith in Christ. All believers are baptized by one Holy Spirit into one body of believers, the church. We don’t lose our individual identities, but we have an overriding oneness in Christ. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up residence, and they are born into God’s family. The same Holy Spirit completely fills our innermost beings. As members of God’s family, we may have different interests and gifts, but we have a common goal (Life Application Bible).

We are encouraged, just as Paul encouraged the Corinthian believers, to discover and develop our gifts and see how we can serve Christ’s body with the gifts given to us. In this passage Paul also surfaces two barriers to the maximizing of our gifts. First we might declare ourselves (12:14-20) to be of minor value or importance to the body. This means we neglect the body by not giving our gift for their good. Second, we declare others to be of lesser value or importance and imagine them as dispensable (12:21-26). So whether by underestimating or overestimating the value of our gifts, the body of Christ is wounded.

If you’ve ever been to a marina and seen where boats are tied up, one thing you will notice is the difference in sizes and types of boats. Some are huge and powerful looking, some are sleek and graceful looking, and some look like they are barely held together with baling wire and duct tape. But when they are out on the water, each boat moves through the water, using the attributes it was given.

How are you using your gift(s) from God?

Are you opening yourself up to the Holy Spirit’s leading?