August 25, 2021

“A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:7

This last weekend I participated in an old-fashioned barn raising. I am currently building a shop at my house so that I can have a place to enjoy my classic car restoration hobby. On Friday and Saturday, a whole bunch of friends came and helped me. I am no carpenter, so I was glad to have some men with a good amount of experience in that area. One of the best parts of working with them was seeing their great variety of tools (what guy doesn’t love tools!?). There were several tools we used constantly: nail guns, tape measures, and circular saws. But there were several other tools that were only used a couple times for special purposes. Much of the time I wondered why the guys even brought those tools, but once they were needed, it became obvious how important they were.

In the church it is easy to look at the most visible members – pastors, teachers, worship leaders, etc. – and say, “they are the ones who are ‘gifted,’ not me.” But 1 Corinthians 12:7 tells us the Holy Spirit is given to EACH person. And He is given for the common good of the church. If you have not been active in the church, then the church is missing a vital tool for ministry. There is a role you are meant to fill…a place you are meant to plug in. Your gift may not be something you traditionally think of as a “church position.” Most likely it is something you do every day and something that comes natural to you; you have just never realized it can and should be applied to building God’s Kingdom through the church. Don’t look at the jobs you think are useful to the church and decide if you can do them. Look at what it is you enjoy, you do well, and you do naturally and ask how that can be applied in the church. I challenge you to spend some time in prayer today and ask God to show you the manifestation of the Spirit in your life and ask him how that can be used in your church.

Heavenly Father, show us the manifestation of Your Spirit in our lives. Make our gifting clear to us. And then give us the opportunity to use that gifting for Your Kingdom.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon