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October 10 — Gifts for the Common Good

“There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” — Corinthians 12:4-7     We live in a culture that often encourages us to think about our abilities in terms of personal accomplishment. What can I achieve? How can I distinguish myself? How can my abilities help me succeed? There is nothing wrong with developing our gifts or taking satisfaction in work done well. But when Paul writes about spiritual gifts, he directs our attention away from ourselves and toward something larger. “There are different gifts, but the same Spirit.” Once again, Scripture celebrates diversity. God does not create identical disciples. The Holy Spirit works through different personalities, abilities, experiences, and forms of service. Some people communicate easily in front of a group. Othe...
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October 9 — Different Gifts, One Body

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” — Romans 12:4-8     God never intended the Christian life to be lived alone. When we place our faith in Christ, we become part of something larger than ourselves. Paul describes that community with one of the most beautiful images in the New Testament: the human body. A body has many different parts, and each has a different function. Yet all those parts belong together and contribute to the life and health of the whole. The same is ...
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October 8 — Using Your Gifts to Serve Others

“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” — 1 Peter 4:10-11     Every person has something to offer. We may sometimes look at other people and admire their abilities while overlooking our own. Someone else may seem more talented, more confident, more experienced, or more capable. We may even convince ourselves that because we cannot do what someone else does, we have little to contribute. Scripture gives us a very different perspective. Peter writes, “Each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.” Those words include every believer. God has entrusted something to each of us that can be used in loving service. Pete...
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October 7 — Choosing to Serve the Lord

“But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” — Joshua 24:15     Every life is shaped by choices. Some are small and quickly forgotten, while others influence the direction of our lives for years to come. Yet beneath many of our individual decisions lies an even deeper choice: What will have our highest loyalty? What will guide our priorities, shape our values, and determine the way we live? Near the end of his life, Joshua gathered the tribes of Israel and reminded them of everything God had done for them. God had called Abraham, delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, guided the people through the wilderness, and brought them into the land He had promised. Joshua was not asking the people to serve a God who had done nothing for them. He was ask...
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October 6 — Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

“Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.” — Galatians 6:9-10     Doing good can be deeply rewarding, especially when we can see the difference our efforts are making. Someone expresses gratitude. A need is met. A problem is solved. A person we have encouraged begins to regain hope. In those moments, service can feel joyful because we can see that what we have done matters. But Christian service does not always provide such immediate encouragement. Sometimes we serve faithfully and see very little evidence that anything is changing. We pray for someone for years. We continue encouraging a person who remains discouraged. We work toward solving a problem that seems stubbornly resistant to improvement. We give our time to a ministry and wonder whether our efforts are accomplishing anything. We try to do what is right, yet t...
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October 5 — Let Your Good Works Shine

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5;16     Jesus told His followers that they are the light of the world. It is a remarkable description. Light makes things visible. It provides direction. It pushes back darkness. Even a small light can make an enormous difference when everything around it is dark. Then Jesus explained one of the ways His light becomes visible through us: through the good that we do. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds…” At first, these words might seem to conflict with Jesus’ later instruction in the Sermon on the Mount not to practice righteousness merely to be noticed by others. But the difference is found in the purpose. Jesus does not tell us to perform good deeds so that people will admire us. He tells us to live faithfully so that people may see something of God through us. The goal is not, “Look at me.” The goal is, “Look at ...
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October 4 — Serving the Lord in All We Do

“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” — Colossians 3:23-24     Much of life is ordinary. We wake up. We prepare for the day. We go to work or attend to responsibilities at home. We answer messages, complete tasks, prepare meals, run errands, care for people, solve problems, and take care of things that need to be done. Then the next day arrives, and we do many of those things again. It can be tempting to imagine that serving God happens primarily during the obviously spiritual moments of life—when we worship, pray, study Scripture, volunteer at church, or participate in a ministry. Those things are certainly important expressions of service. But Paul gives us a much larger vision. “Whatever you do,” he writes, “work at it with your whole being, for the Lord.” Whatever you do. Those words bring God into the ordin...
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