Gifts For God's Glory

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 

                                                                     (1 Cor 12:1-11 KJV)

We do not all have the same gifts. But, we all have been given gifts by God to use that God might be glorified. Jesus was willing to be tortured and die a cruel death for us; yet, so often we are not even willing to use our gifts for the sake of others; for the sake of the Kingdom; for the sake of glorifying God.

Do not worry about what gifts others have.  If everyone had the same gift not much would be accomplished toward the Kingdom of God. Use the gifts that God has given you and thank him for the opportunity to use them. Do not be afraid to use your gifts for God would not have given them for us just to set them on a shelf in the closet like an unwanted Christmas present. 

You are a child of God and he has given you good gifts for a purpose. Use those gifts for the growth of the Kingdom and ultimately to glorify our Father in heaven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Discerning By Outward Appearance

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

Human beings tend to judge people by what they see on the outside and then give themselves no chance to see who they really are. Young people today (and probably many generations before) tend to think that people should accept them as they are with baggy pants, piercings all over their heads, low cut or see through shirts, torn jeans, and rainbow colored hair. Unfortunately, employers understand that their business will often be judged by how their employees appear and they will typically hire someone who appears more conservatively. Young people also have the age factor working against them. Many employers would like a bit more experience working for them. Fair or not; that is reality. Many people will not give themselves the opportunity to get to know you because they can't get past the outward appearance.

But, God does know you. He knows your every thought and action. He knows what is in your heart. When selecting the next king of Israel he told Samuel don't be anointing Eliab because of his appearance. Keep on looking; I will tell you which one to anoint. It was not the eldest that the Lord chose. Although, he was also very pleasing to look at, it was the youngest son of Jesse; a mere sheepherder that was chosen to be the next king of Israel.


God chooses whom he will choose. Thanks be to God! He does not discern by age or beauty as humankind does. He looks at the heart.

May the Lord our God soften our hearts so that we will not judge others by first impressions of outward appearances.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fake And Biased News

Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals
    violence.

Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
    but a rod is for the back of one who has no

    sense.

The wise store up knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

                                           (Prov 10:10-14 NIV)

I am back in Proverbs this morning after reading the morning news. There was a lot of that senseless chattering going on. Some of it is fake; but, mostly it is a biased promoting of political agendas rather than the actual reporting of the news. Rather than reveal the real news that is happening around the country and the world; news that might motivate people to step up and help others rather than harm; the news reveals a hatred for those who do not agree with the newscasters' or the stations' opinions and/or political stances. There appears to be very little love and even less wisdom. Their mouths are invitations to division and the ruination of a free world through hatred, slander and more violence.

May God help us to understand that the hatred and anger that is being broadcast daily will bring us to our end. May He teach us to love one another as He loves us all so that we might live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Elders Shine!

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. (1 Tim 3:1-3 NIV)

This morning at our congregation council meeting two members will be appointed to the board. We thank God for bringing us these two new council members. Discerning who it is that God would call to these positions can be difficult at times.

No, not everyone within a congregation should be on the slate of elections as an overseer (council member, elder, etc.) of the congregation or a denomination. It is not always easy to find potential willing candidates for some of these positions of leadership; but, that does not mean that we should not be discerning in whom we choose to lead and serve our communities of faith. It is often more prudent to allow an office to go empty than to call someone whom God has not gifted and called. They must be faithful to God, willing to set aside their personal desires and ambitions in this world. Jesus comes first, always!

St. Paul outlines some basic guidelines for Timothy to use in his position as a leader of the church at Ephesus. They must be faithful to their spouse, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, not given to drunkenness, not violent but, gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.

It is necessary for our servant leaders to be able to conduct their personal lives in a way that the light of Christ and not deeds of darkness is seen by others. We are not; after all, a social club. We are the Body of Christ. Let your light so shine! And... thanks be to God for the faithful members whom He calls to serve as council members and elders.

God's Peace - Pr. J