Friday September 7, 2012

Send a thank you card to at least one person today for their work in God’s Church.

 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-20

 

How many times have you seen children throw a hissy fit during a game and stomp off and refuse to be involved? Maybe they couldn’t bat or have the main role.  Maybe they didn’t score or maybe things went against them and they just couldn’t cope. The result? They stomp off in a huff and puff!

 

While we may laugh at such silly examples the Lord tells us that such hissy fits can and do happen in the church. There are many people that have opted out of the body of Christ because something didn’t go their way. Many have left their local congregation because they weren’t picked for this or that role. Many have opted out because they weren’t the best at something or because some decision was made contrary to their liking.

 

The Lord has made the church like a body. No one should opt out because they aren’t something else. No one should be leaving in a hissy fit because they are not like someone else or because they don’t have a ministry like someone else.  There is only one body and God has arranged the body just as He saw fit. Whatever your role in the church be assured that God has put you there for a reason. Be assured that He wants you there to serve and to give and to bless others. You are a vital part of the body, just as a foot or hand or eye lid. Just as every part of the body has a role, so do you.

 

God reminds us over and over and over again that the body has many parts and that each part is vital for the effective functioning of the body. Without the various parts of the body, it would simply cease to be a body! You are vital to the effective functioning of the body. There are two ways that this impacts our life. Firstly, we can no longer think of ourselves as insignificant and unnecessary within the church. We must change the way we think and consciously see ourselves as important within the body of Christ. Secondly, we must affirm the value of others and encourage them in their role in the body. You can be a great encouragement to others simply by telling them what a great job they are doing and by thanking them for their service. Imagine if everyone in the church thanked just one other person each week for their love and service! What a church!

 

Prayer:

Spend time in adoration, confession and thanks. Write down your points for future reference.  Focus your prayers here on others in your church and the roles that God has given them.

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:
Supplication:

¨ Pray that God will raise up continued support for Shiloh Church ministries in India. Pray that the orphans would have enough food, clothes etc  to live off and that they would be amply cared for by the Lord and His chosen people.

¨ Pray for the work of Student Life as they seek to evangelise university students across the nation. Pray for a revival among students. Pray that God would provide the leadership and resources needed for this great task.