LOVING SERVICE

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

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. —I Corinthians 12:18

…do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. …do not have love, I am nothing. …do not have love, I gain nothing. —I Corinthians 13:1-3

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. —I Corinthians 15:58

Do everything in love. —I Corinthians 16:14

It was a team sport and a team sport needs team players. Each member of the team is chosen for their individual skill, but that skill is to be combined with the skills of the other members of the team. In doing so the team becomes stronger than the individual parts working independently. Imagine a soccer play or basketball player handling the ball the entire game with no one else on the team touching it. Needless to say that team would not do very well and you could not really call it a team with one person totally controlling the ball. The rest of the team might as well sit on the bench.

So it is in the church. God has gifted each individual member of the church and placed them in the church according to His desires. The Holy Spirit is revealed in each individual of the church through the use of their gift(s) and that is for the common good of the church. Those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ but there is no evidence of or desire for Holy Spirit gifting usage, then something is not right. It could be a lack of knowing God’s Word (experientially), a lack of discipleship, disobedience or maybe the person does not even know the Lord Jesus.

Whatever spiritual gift(s) the Lord has given to each one of us, these gifts are to be utilized by the motivation of love, godly love. A person can have the spiritual gift of teaching and be a wonderful teacher, but if that person is not practicing that gift out of love for God and people, then it is worth nothing. There is no spiritual profit and that person is only making noise. Holy Spirit motivated love for God and people have to be the impetus in using spiritual gifts.

We should not let anything move us in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us give ourselves fully to His work. Our labor in the Lord is not in vain! But, let us labor out of love or we are laboring is in vain!

Dear Father, oh, that I would grow in my love for the Lord Jesus Christ, for His people and for the lost. Help me to ponder the love You have for me and all that Jesus has done for me. Out of sincere appreciation, may I serve in Your love. May it be so.