Last night at St. Matthew’s we had the opening kickoff for our Wednesday Night Live programming!  It was a great time, featuring the best food around Madison County, and our District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Connie Shelton sharing with us.  Last night Connie shared with us parts of these verses found in 1 Corinthians 12: 14-21.  Listen to what they say:

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Two things stick out about the body to me.

First, you have a gift.  You do. Everyone in the body has a gift.  There is no ungifted person.  Now, your gift will not be someone else’s gift.  It will be unique to you.  It will be something that you possess.  It’s not better than someone else’s, it’s not worse that someone else’s.  It yours.  Be thankful for it.  God has given it to you for a reason.  Live into it.

You are special.  You are unique.  And you are gifted by God for something that only you can do.

And that leads us to the second thing, your gift matters to the church.  You were created not to live alone, but to live in the body of Christ.  You have a special place that God has created for you, and that the church needs for you to live into. Until you are doing that, you won’t be living into the total purpose of your gift.

You are gifted.  You really are.  And your gift is needed by the church, not just for the community that you will receive in it, but for the purpose that God for you.

You matter.  Your gifts matter.

So, what are they?

One of the things that Connie shared with us was a really good, and really easy, spiritual gift assessments.  Click here and take it for yourself.  What are you gifts?  What has God given you?  And are you using it in the church?

Your church needs you. It needs your talents, your gifts, your passion, all that you, for the building of God’s kingdom.  Plug in, serve, live!

Today, you are so gifted!  May we use those gifts for God’s glory!

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