January 22 - Fulfill Your Role In The Body
“All the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other.” (Acts 2:44)
Devotional Thought: We’ve already learned this week that God wants us to be a part of His family, He wants us to belong to a Church family, and He wants us to learn how to share with others. And we learned yesterday that it’s important that we share our experiences and problems with other Christians. But there are other things we need to share as well.
We need to learn how to share our abilities with other Christians. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” That verse reminds us that every Christian has been given an ability that enables us to help and strengthen others. And 1 Peter 4:10 says, “God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
Another verse also reminds us how much all of our abilities are needed in the Body of Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 12:4-5, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
A lot of people experience a lot of fellowship and a sense of belonging by being on a Serve Team here at Celebration. And we have all types of Serve Teams here at Celebration that people can be a part of. Paul is basically saying that each one of us is like a part of a body. Think about the parts of your body. Some parts are incredibly intricate and complicated. The brain is incredibly intricate. The eye is incredibly intricate. Then you have other parts that are just pretty simple. Of all those body parts, some are unique - you only have one and it’s very distinct to you. Some parts aren’t so unique - you might have two or more that don’t really vary much person to person. But the point is, you probably can’t name a part of your body that you would choose to live without.
The Lord wants us to know that we are important, and that regularly contributing our abilities or resources to keep the “Body of Christ” functioning well is also very important. So find your place where you can best serve God and help others in the Body of Christ. That might be in a Life Group. It might be helping in our Kidztown, Midpoint or Youth ministries. Or participating in a Serve Team in our Church or in the Communities around our Church Campuses. And know that when you do, you are using your gifts, talents and abilities to serve God and help others; which helps to strengthen your Church family and bring the message and ministry of Jesus to people all around the world.
Prayer Focus: Lord, help me find the best place for me to serve You and others in the “Body of Christ” so that I can utilize the abilities You’ve given me and make a difference for good and for God in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: Make a list of the Ministries that you see taking place at your Campus, and then pray over that list, asking the Lord to give you direction about where you can best serve on a regular basis some time in the near future.
