Saturday Devotional
Last night we read the beginning of 2 Timothy 2, and Cody shared about the examples of the “soldier,” “athlete,” and “hard-working farmer” in verses 3-6. This word was written by the Apostle Paul to his protégé Timothy, but it is a directive which we all should follow in order to be pure and undistracted in following Christ. There are many commands in the Bible we all should follow, like making disciples, loving God and others, sharing our faith, and so on. Yet there are different ways in which each of us are gifted to accomplish this.
In several other letters by Paul, he writes about the diversity of gifts which God gives to Christians. The metaphor he uses in 1 Corinthians is that of a body, with different parts that all have their own functions, all operating under control of the one head, who is Jesus.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
To me, this is incredibly encouraging to read. As one seeking to make disciples, each of us is given specific gifts to use to teach others. The fact that I am not “the same” (in some sense of that term) as another Christian does not make me no longer a Christian: as we both grow in faithfulness to Jesus, I am still a hand, and they are still an eye. God has given them good gifts, and I can rejoice in that without thinking less of myself for not being gifted in those ways. Similarly, God has given me good gifts, but that doesn’t mean I should think I’m better than other people who are simply gifted differently than I, when we are both “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” Take a few moments to pray to God in praise for how he has given such gifts to those whom he calls, and that he uses these to lead us in making disciples of his kingdom!
Reflection:
In his book True Spirituality, theologian Francis Schaeffer highlights that the hands in a body work not because they communicate well with each other; but because each one, individually, communicates well with the head. The functionality of our gifts depends on our communion with God. Pray to God to increase your faith and to draw you closer to himself in love.
Take a few moments to reread verses 4-11. Think through how you may be gifted or how you are growing in different gifts by the Spirit. Pray for clarity to understand the ways in which God wants to use you for the glory of Jesus.
Think of how some others here at the retreat have been gifted. Consider how to encourage them and point them to greater love for God and others in their gifting.