Grace at Work

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7

1 Corinthians 12 has always intrigued me--in fact the first sermon I ever preached was on this chapter. The chapter's focus is Spiritual Gifts and how these gifts help to make the Body of Christ well-rounded and effective. It wasn't until I got a little Greek under my belt that I discovered that the word used for spiritual gifts in this chapter could literally be translated "grace gifts." I like that. God, through His grace gives His followers gifts that enable them to communicate His grace to others. So, for me, ultimately this chapter is about grace--receiving it from God to communicate it to others.

As I reflected on my week, I thought of the many times I experienced people using their various gifts in ways that were complementary.

Last weekend my partners and co-founders of LifePlan Ministries presented a workshop called "Live Your Purpose." The three of us have different gifts (thank God!), that complement each other rather well.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was involved in a pastoral staff meeting where, once again, different gifts were on display that demonstrated a unifying, complementary approach to the Body of Christ.

Later that afternoon, I helped to coach a girls basketball game. Each of the three coaches brings different gifts, skills, and abilities to the table, and it's fun to be involved in a precess where three diverse people can work cooperatively together toward a common goal.

During the course of that basketball game, I watched as the girls on the team used their various talents and skills to work together to achieve something that was important to them. They won the game, and I still marvel about how girls from such different cultural and demographic backgrounds can set aside all their differences and can blend their talents for the common good.

Wednesday, I was involved in a discussion with our senior pastor and the children's pastor and I left the discussion amazed at how God can use three people with different personality types, life experiences, and perspectives to help develop a project that will strengthen the local church.

But in reality, maybe these examples shouldn't amaze me. Perhaps what should be amazing is when people don't cooperatively use their "grace gifts." How sad it is when people don't get to experience God's grace because they selfishly believe that using their gifts for the common good will somehow diminish them, rather than building them up.

I hope you got to experience the joys of diversity, cooperation, and unity this week. One of the truly gratifying experiences of life is to see God's grace at work!