"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, 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 contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" (Romans 12:6-8)

There is incredible freedom in operating in your strengths. We were all created with specific purposes, talents and aptitudes. Those things are gifts from the Lord. He designed us to complement the body of Christ by our membership in it. We all have different functions but we belong to the same body. The many members make up the church and the church is the body of Christ.

In today's passage Paul is encouraging us to play to our strengths. We all have different gifts and talents according to the grace given us. So it makes sense that if we have the gift of prophesy we should use it to bless the body of Christ. If we are talented at teaching, then we should be teaching the word to others. If we have been given a servant's heart, then we should be operating within that calling. There are many gifts and each one is very important to the body of Christ.

Paul listed several things in these verses that are easily overlooked as gifts from the Lord. We readily recognize the more visible gifts such as prophecy, teaching and leadership. However, just as important are gifts like encouragement, generosity and showing mercy to one another. If the entire body clamored for the pulpit but disregarded other gifts such as encouraging a struggling member or serving the needs of the body, then we would have chaos rather than unity. We were called by one spirit to one body. This is why each one of us should know and prove the will of God for our lives and set out to operate in it ( Romans 12:2 ). This is what brings us freedom as individuals and what blesses the collective body of Christ.

Paul talked more about this in I Corinthians 12. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many" ( I Corinthians 12:12-14 ). Recognizing that we are one in Christ, we are called to make up one body and the body depends on us to function as we were designed is an amazing thing. This realization will free us from trying to be all things to all people. Instead we can focus on our strengths and the purpose to which we have been called. This is how God designed us to serve the body, by merely playing to the strengths for which he created us, and by using our natural talents and aptitudes to bring fullness to the many members. In doing this we will experience incredible joy, because we are living our lives in the way God designed us to live.

Today, I pray that you enjoy the gifting that the Lord created in you. May you serve His body with your strengths and talents out of a heart of gratitude for what he has done. May your joy be overflowing in the fullness of Him, amen.

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:4-5)

In Christ Jesus we were set apart to belong to God. No longer a part of this world we have been made sons and daughters through Christ and called into a royal priesthood. In the same way, we belong to the body of Christ which is the church. Although the sum total makes up many members we are joined together in such a way that makes us one body. We belong to each other in unity and service to bring the operation of God's kingdom in this world.

Each one of us has been given a special gifting and called to a specific purpose. But on our own we will not accomplish much. Joining together with other believers and utilizing their gifting is what brings meaning and fullness to the body of Christ.

A great example of this is our physical bodies. It has many organs and parts but each part cannot exist on its own. Being a part of the body is what enables the various parts to operate within their function. A heart pumps blood throughout the body, the brain processes, thinks and gives instruction, the skeletal system supports the entire operation and our muscles are what enable us to move about. They all work together to create a living human being capable of amazing things. When there is a problem in any of these parts, then it affects the entire system and as a result the whole body suffers.

The same is true within the body of Christ. We all have different functions, gifting and strengths, but they complement other parts of the body. When operating as God designed us, we are blessing the entire body. When we don't operate the way we were designed, then the body suffers. We are mutually dependent on one another and the makeup of the whole body far outweighs the sum of the individual parts.

Each one of us should consider this and operate as God has called us. There are many parts to the body of Christ and many roles. Not all are teachers, not all are pastors but all have a place. The fact that some roles are not visible within the body of Christ does not mean they are less important. Actually the opposite is true, these gifts are absolutely necessary to the body and hold special honor by God. "While our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" ( I Corinthians 12:24-27 ).

The great thing about this is each one of us can play to our strengths and the within the gifting that the Lord has given us. This is why we need to renew our minds and prove the will of God for our lives ( Romans 12:2 ). This is how we know what we are called to be. Each part is necessary and each part blesses the body of Christ. We are called to belong to each other.

Today may you understand how you have blessed the body by being called and set apart for a specific use. By faith may you continue to operate in that calling, amen.