Part of the Same Body

Published: April 25, 2023, midnight

b'Sometimes, it\\u2019s easy to become intimidated or even jealous of other\\nChristians. \\u201cAlondra is so good at teaching\\u2014would I be a better Christian\\nif I could teach like she can? Blake always knows how to show mercy to\\npeople\\u2014why is that so hard for me? Is it bad that I can\\u2019t lead people in\\nworship like Jade?\\u201d\\n.\\nGod has equipped His people in so many different ways, and that\\u2019s a good\\nthing. We don\\u2019t need to compare ourselves to other Christians\\nbecause we belong to the same God. It\\u2019s not a competition\\u2014we\\u2019re all on the\\nsame team. As 1 Corinthians 12 puts it, we are all part of the body of\\nChrist. Even though different body parts have different functions, they all\\nwork together as a whole.\\n.\\nSimilarly, Christians are equipped with different spiritual gifts, but\\nthese gifts \\u201care the work of one and the same Spirit\\u201d (verse 11). God\\ndoesn\\u2019t leave anyone out. All of us are important in the body of Christ,\\neach of us tremendously and equally loved by God. He demonstrated His great\\nlove for us in Jesus\\u2014He came to serve, giving His very life for us so that\\nwe could be with Him (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). The reason we serve now,\\nin whatever capacity that may be, is because we love Jesus and want to\\nshare His love with others.\\n.\\nAs members of the same team and family, we have the freedom to explore\\nthe gifts God has given us. Some Christians will have gifts that are\\nsimilar to ours, others will have very different gifts. But we can trust\\nJesus to guide us in how to serve Him as we listen to His Spirit, His Word,\\nand His people. Then, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can serve Him\\nfaithfully as one of the many unique members of His church, knowing that we\\nare loved no matter how we serve. \\u2022 A. W. Smith\\n.\\n\\u2022 Consider taking some time to reread 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians\\n4:11-16. The Holy Spirit gives different spiritual gifts to all Christians.\\nWhat questions do you have about spiritual gifts?\\n.\\n\\u2022 Who are trusted Christians in your life\\u2014such as pastors, counselors,\\nparents, or teachers\\u2014who could help you discern your spiritual gifts and\\ntalk through questions you might have about the gifts you have, and the\\ngifts others have?\\n.\\nEach of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as\\nfaithful stewards of God\\u2019s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\n1Pet.4.10|1Cor.12|Eph.4.11-Eph.4.16'