Serving the Body

Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies.
–1 Peter 4:11

How do we prevent division in our churches today? One way is to make sure everybody has a place to serve. Churches are more united and more effective when everybody is doing something to build up the body of Christ.

In 1 Peter 4:10–11, the apostle said, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies.” When the Holy Spirit came into your life, He gave you a spiritual gift to use in service of the body of Christ. Your spiritual gift is a desire and power God has given you to accomplish His purpose.

A spiritual gift is not just a supernatural enablement; it’s also a desire. Your spiritual gift is something you feel passionate about. In Acts 6, the Hellenistic Jews in the church complained that their widows were not being taken care of. As a result, deacons were selected to oversee the distribution of food to the widows. It’s interesting that out of the seven men who were appointed as deacons, six were Hellenistic Jews. There’s a principle here: If you feel passionate about something, it may be God’s way of telling you, “This is the ministry you’re to be involved in.”

If you think the standard of Bible teaching in your church needs to be improved, maybe you need to be a Sunday school teacher. If you’re concerned about children coming to know Christ, maybe you need to volunteer in children’s ministry. If praising God through corporate worship is a high priority for you, maybe you ought to be involved in music ministry.

I once heard somebody say, “Spiritual gifts are not for our enjoyment; they are for our employment.” That’s a false dichotomy. Spiritual gifts are for both our enjoyment and our employment. The Greek word translated as “gift” in 1 Peter 4:10 comes from a Greek root word that means “joy.” If you want to experience real joy in your life, then find a place of service in your church where you can use your spiritual gift to build up the body of Christ.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “How to Avoid a Church Fight,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.