There is no I in team

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.”     Romans 12:3-8

Take a moment and look around yourself, at your church, at your community, at your job, wherever you may be.  How many things do you see that you rely on others to make?  I’m writing this devotional at my desk and couldn’t really describe how the pens and paper are made, but my life is certainly improved by having them.  And the same can be said about our church family – I don’t have all the gifts that others have, but I can benefit and grow in a family of faith when others use the unique and diverse gifts they have.

Some people have a tendency to be critical of others, while some have a tendency to be hard on themselves and put themselves down.  There are others with a tendency to see themselves as more or less the same as others, just average, nothing noteworthy.  But God sees the gifts He’s given us and has a plan for each and every one of those gifts.  It’s up to us to recognize these gifts and develop them with God’s help.

Prayer: God, help me today to see your plan for me and your plan for my church community.  Help me recognize the gifts you’ve given me and guide me in how best to use them daily.  And give me the wisdom to see and appreciate the gifts you’ve given others.

Amen

Stephen Case-Blanchard