Monday, November 28: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9: God Faithfully Equips Us for Service
During Advent, we remember and celebrate God’s grace gift to us—His son Jesus the Christ. In the first chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, we learn that those who have been transformed by their grace relationship with Christ have been enriched and equipped with spiritual gifts needed to faithfully serve the Savior. As translated in The Message: “There’s no end to what has happened to you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.”
When we examine our own lives closely, perhaps we wonder what our spiritual gifts are and why our gifts seem inadequate when compared to those of other Christians. We must remember, however, that scripture teaches us that God has given each of us specific and different gifts and that we are to use them to serve Him and to contribute to the advancement of His church. Our spiritual gifts are not for personal gain, glory, or notoriety; spiritual gifts are to be used to honor God through service in Christ’s church. Behind-the-scenes gifts may be more important to the mission of the church than flashy gifts which capture public attention.
We need not be afraid of using our gifts or insecure about the depth and quality of our gifts. God provided our gifts. How could a gift from God be inadequate? We need to faithfully trust that God is with us, strengthening and supporting us as we use these gifts to serve His church. “God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are wrapped up by Jesus.” (The Message)
John Parrish
