Romans 12:3-5, "For I say, through the grace given to me,
to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a
measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the
members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body
in Christ, and individually members of one another."
Through
Jesus, God has given us undeserved mercy and a saving grace that brings
with it the free gift of spending eternity in His presence. In
addition, God has placed each one of us individually within the body of
Christ, which is the church. Each of us having received a measure of
grace and a unique blending of spiritual gifts, we are prepared by
Christ to perform different functions within the church body. In our
secular world today we can strive for recognition and success and
unfortunately that attitude and type of thinking can spill over into the
church. This happens when we seek out the ministry positions we think
will benefit us the most or bring us the most recognition and favor.
However, we must remember that is not the way Jesus see's things and
that is not what Jesus had in mind when He placed us in the body. Jesus
created each of us unique with a different blend of spiritual gifts
meant to work together as a cohesive whole. These gifts were given to us
in order the help those in need, build up the body of Christ and spread
the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus alone, through faith alone.
In
His wisdom Jesus has created a unified whole, one body serving together
for the glory of God, the edification of believers and the spread of
the Gospel. We are to be placed into the body of Christ, where He has
designed us to be, not where we desire ourselves to be. As followers of
Christ united into one body to serve the Lord, we are to put away
arrogance and pride. We are to "think soberly" which means to exercise
sound judgment for the good of all, without regard for personal gain. In
other words, we are to put others ahead of ourselves. Knowing that
individually we are really part of a greater whole, which must work
together in faith to the glory of Christ who strengthens us. Moreover,
we must remember, unlike the secular world, there is no competition or
comparison. We must all answer God as to what we did with the spiritual
gifts, time, talents and resources He gave us individually. God is not
going to look at how we did compared to someone else. All positions of
ministry are meant by Jesus as positions of service, to serve others
with concern for their physical and spiritual well being. Christian
ministry is meant for us in humility, to serve those in need and thereby
show the love of Christ for all to see. And we do so by putting the
needs and concerns, and most importantly the glory of God, ahead of
ourselves!
Praise God!
