Pause

The ability to do something – something creative, something useful – that kind of ability is called a gift. It’s not something intended for personal use and benefit alone. Gifts like these are meant to be used for the benefit of others.

That’s because these gifts come from God, who has in mind not only the individual, but everyone all together.

Think now about how you might use your God-given gifts for the benefit of all the world.

Listen

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would 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. And if the ear would 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. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 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.”

1 Corinthians 12:14-21

Think

We all like some part of our bodies. There are other parts of our bodies that we dislike, critique, or maybe just wish weren’t there. But there isn’t any part of our bodies that does not have a purpose. What part of your body do you think is great? Which part do you wish was different? Does your opinion about these parts change how your body functions? You still need all your parts, right? This is how it is with our sisters and brothers in Christ. We could never expect to get along with everyone in the body of Christ or think every person is absolutely great.

As you consider today being part of the mission of God, you cannot do it alone, just as your eye cannot see without the help of your brain and muscles and blood. Look around you at your brothers and sisters in Christ, and see the precious need for them to be alongside you on this mission. Each of us has a place and a special part to fulfill in God’s mission. We need each other to find out what that is. We need each other to carry it out. In God’s mysterious ways, God uses us to form each other.

Katie Sciba

Pray

Lord Jesus Christ, help me to see the giftedness and uniqueness of each of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Use them to show me my giftedness and how I fit into your mission to love the world. Gently form us into one body. Thank you for your love. Amen

Go

May your gifts burn like a fire,
Bringing warmth to everyone you meet.
May your gifts light the world
And reveal the goodness of God.
May your gifts today be embraced
And expressed
With creativity,
Making you useful in God's mercy.