July 4, 2013 … Playing To Our Strength

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 185

Passage of the Day #1: 1st Corinthians 12: 4 [Are we using His gifts for His glory?] [NLT] …
  4 Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.
==========
Contextual Study involving today’s passage found in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 12 … Go to this link …
============

Reference Passage of the Day #1: Romans 12: 6 [We are the body of Christ, all parts working together for God’s glory.] …  
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

Reference Passage of the Day #2: Ephesians 4: 5-7 [One God – many gifts.] …  
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. … 7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ.

Devotional Song: Go to this link -  … Again, I’m using Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “His Strength Is Perfect” to challenge me that God’s strength is perfect through His grace to provide me a gift which I can use for His glory … His strength is perfect when our strength is gone in the body of Christ.

My Journal for Today: What do you think would happen if, in the huddle of an NFL game, the quarterback would say, “Okay, on this play I’ll be the left tackle; and I’m turning over my position to our left tackle to call and execute the next play.” It would be a disaster, wouldn’t it? … Why? … Well, it’s because the quarterback in American football has certain gifts, … as does the left tackle; and if you don’t use those gifts properly for the team goals, the team can’t function to maximum effectiveness.

And I hope you immediately see the application of that illustration for the Body of Christ? Today’s highlight and reference passages above put forth the Apostle Paul, inspired by God’s Spirit, teaching three different segments of the Body of Christ one powerful principle … that the body of Christ is made up of different people exercising varied gifts in unity, … all for God’s glory. And God shows Himself most powerfully when each of us in Christ’s Body is using his/her gifts as God dispersed them to maximize His power in the world.

So, what does that tell us? Well, it tells us that we need to find out what gift or gifts God has given each one of us and then we use those gifts in the role God has selected for us to play. In other words, we use His strength to cover our weakness; and we all – in the body of Christ – work together as a team for the glory of God, the Father.

So, do you know what your Spirit-imparted gift or gifts are? And if you do know your gifts, … are you using them maximally within God’s team so that His grace and power can be maximized in the world?

Let me illustrate this further more personally. As you have read my blogs here, have you sensed that God’s Spirit has given His gifts of teaching and encouragement? Because He has; and when I’m using them as I am right here, writing this blog, His strength is being manifest in what I do. But if I were to keep silent and choose to not to write this blog, I would be muting God’s power to work through me because I would not be exercising His gifts maximally.

So, my friend if your gift is service, go serve someone in the Name of Christ and for Gods’ glory. If you’re gift is giving, use what God gives you and give it away wisely, using God’s providence for His purposes. And if you … well, you get the idea!

If you’re gifted be a quarterback, be the best quarterback on God’s team you can be. And if God has gifted you to be His left tackle, you do all you can to protect the quarterback and to allow him to use his gifts on God’s team. And when we’re all using our gifts – TOGETHER – we’ll be moving the team forward toward God’s goals and for His glory.

My Prayer for Today …Lord, use Your gifts through me for Your glory today! … Amen