1 Corinthians 12:4-7

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

And there are distributions of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are distributions of the service, but the same Lord.  And there are distributions of effort, but the same God who works all things in all people.  And the clear revelation of the Spirit is being given to each one for that which is a benefit.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought

As Paul continues to talk about division in the church, he comes at it from yet another angle.  This time, he talks about distributions: gifts, service, and effort.  His point is that there are differences in the way we interact with God.  We each have different gifts.  We each are called to different forms of service.  We are each asked to give different levels of effort.  While we are asked to submit to Christ, we do not need to be carbon copies of each other.  As is often said, Paul speaks to unity, not uniformity.  We are under Christ and submitted to the will of God.  But we need not believe that we must be exactly like one another.  We are equipped differently.  We are asked to serve differently.  We are asked to give different amount of effort.  And that’s okay, as long as we are being obedient to God.

Does this passage help you feel unique?  Does this passage help you appreciate your personal relationship with God any better?  What distribution of gift, service, and effort are you given?

Second Thought:

While it is important to see our uniqueness, it is also important to understand from where our uniqueness comes.  Our gifts all come from the same Spirit.  Our service all comes from the same Lord.  Our effort all comes from the same God.  We are called to be unique in our relationship with God but to see ourselves in the bigger picture.  While each of us is unique, we are united together under the same God.  Our unity supersedes our individuality just as God supersedes us.  Our greatest calling is to be in the will of the Father.  There is one God above us all.  We are each unique.  But more importantly, we are each His.  The same God is at work in us all.

Is it ever easy to forget that everyone who is a Christian is actually following the same God?  What makes it so easy to forget that all the Christians around the world are under the same God?  Why is this an important point?

Third Thought:

Did you catch the profoundly Trinitarian language of these verses?  The gifts come from the Spirit.  The service is under the same Lord (Jesus Christ).  The effort comes from the same God (Father).  In Paul’s words we have an intentionally Trinitarian effort.  Paul may not say the words Spirit, Son, and Father but the intent is clearly present.  We are equipped in the Spirit.  We are called into service by our Lord.  We are powerful enough to accomplish our calling by the Father.  God – the whole Trinity – is at work within each of us.

Do you think of the Trinity at work within you?  Why is this a neat idea to ponder?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 12:8-11