1 Corinthians 12:3-13 (NRSV)
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Verse 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; Verse 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; Verse 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. Verse 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Verse 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, Verse 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, Verse 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Verse 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Verse 12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Verse 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Devotion
The Corinthians were a troublesome lot, which may be why I relate to them. I pray that, if I am ever called to serve such a difficult congregation, God will give me the wisdom of Paul. The apostle is similar to Jesus in effectiveness of his teaching. His "body" illustration is brilliant as it communicates how selfish, divisive ways are more than just petty or innocent bickering: they threaten the very fabric of Christ's Body, the Church. Each part of the Body has a particular gift for proper functioning of the Whole. Gifts and service may vary, but it is the same Lord who binds them together by "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." The Spirit activates the parts of the Body, individually and together. We know God first as Creator, secondly as the Savior Son, and through the gifts of the Spirit, bound together as the Whole. Now can't we all just get along?
Prayer
Praise to you, Triune Lord, for showing us how to work together as one body for the good of all. May we, together and separately, be effective in ministry. Amen.