“A spiritual gift is given to each of us as so we can help each other.” (1 Cor. 12:7, NLT)

God has a unique role for you to play in his family.

This is your ministry, and God has gifted you for this assignment: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (1 Cor. 12:7, NLT).

Your local fellowship is the place God designed for you to discover, develop and use your gifts. You may also have a wider ministry, but that is in addition to your service in a local body. Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build his church.

You will share in Christ’s mission in the world. When Jesus walked the earth, God worked through the physical body of Christ; today he uses his spiritual body. The church is God’s instrument on Earth.

We are not just to model God’s love by loving each other; we are to carry it together to the rest of the world. This is an incredible privilege we have been given together.

As members of Christ’s body, we are his hands, his feet, his eyes, and his heart. He works through us in the world. We each have a contribution to make.

Paul tells us, “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (Ephesians 2:10 MSG).

Talk About It

• Are you aware of your spiritual gifts? How are you using them to serve the church?
• How are you modeling God’s love through your words and actions among believers? Among non-believers?

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional © Copyright 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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