Intentional Faith

Thoughts on Today’s Text

The apostle says, “I do not want you to be uninformed” (12:1) and “I want you to understand” (12:3). Wisdom, too, is a key gift of the Spirit.

Paul earlier speaks of the mysterious wisdom of God that belongs to the event of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1:18-2,5). Although Paul in this whole section is thus implying that wisdom is needed to resolve differences, several terms in particular call attention to important insights that belong to wisdom.

“Varieties of gifts” (12:4) — The translation partially misses Paul’s point. It should be “divisions” or “distributions” or “allotments” thus calling attention to the active role of the Spirit. In any case “divisions” is a term belonging to wisdom. It is wisdom that gives the ability to make distinctions and to assess the implications of particularity and difference in practical real life situations.

Paul invites the Corinthians to join him in using that gift in assessing and living with differences in community.

“The common good” (12:7) — The allotments of the Spirit are not arbitrary or willy-nilly. They are given with particularity and with purpose “for the common good.” Of course that “common good” is not always transparent; it has to be negotiated in practice, again by the use of the gift of wisdom, in consideration of what it is that “builds up the community.” Here, of course, Paul’s list of gifts in verses 7 through 10 is doing just that. Some relative judgment is being made about what gifts are most important in community. He begins with “wisdom,” “knowledge,” and “faith,” and ends with the gift of “tongues.”

“Manifestation” (12:7) — Manifestation is also a wisdom term. It calls attention to wisdom’s ability to take things that are hidden or mystifying and bring them out into the open for consideration and understanding. It acknowledges the presence and activity of the Spirit in the particular gifts that belong to the diverse endowments of the believing community.

Today’s Text

1 Corinthians 12:1-12 (NIV)
1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

Our Family Devotion

Decisions, Decisions

• Who’s the first person you turn to when you don’t know what to do?

• How do you know when you’ve made a wrong decision?

We live in a complicated world. We will face complicated decisions. Fortunately for us, we have a resource we can use. God, the source of all wisdom, invites us to share our dilemmas with him. He makes his wisdom available to us.

In order to take full advantage of the opportunity, though, we first need to empty ourselves of our own “wisdom.” Sometimes when we ask for advice, we have already made up our minds, and we’re just looking for someone to agree with us. That might work with friends, but not with God. If we’re going to tap into his wisdom, we need to forget about what we want or what we think should happen. We need to let him guide us.

If you’re not sure how to recognize God’s voice, try talking to him from different perspectives about the situation you’re facing. Talk about the pros, the reasons you should do something. Then talk about the cons, the reasons you shouldn’t do it. Let him work in your heart and mind to help you realize which direction is best.

If you really want God’s wisdom, just ask him for it.

Dear God, thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. Never let us forget that your help is available whenever we need it. Amen.

Morning Prayer

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live. . . Psalm 146

Praise the Lord,
my mind and memory,
my thoughts and deeds of this day.
I will praise the Lord wherever I go;
I will sing praise,
for the Lord is good.

Prise the Lord,
strangers and friends;
let us praise him for he loves us;
let us sing praise to our God while we live.

Thoughts on Today’s Text

In Philippians 3, Paul says that we should not rest on our laurels; we should not assume that what we have done in the past will bring a reward. We must continue to strive toward the perfection found in Christ Jesus. Our human nature tends to want ritual and structure in religion to make us feel safe and secure, but Paul says that is not enough. We must never assume that religion (or financial security) is enough; we must “press on toward the goal.”

If we feel too comfortable at doing church, maybe we are holding on to tradition and losing sight of the goal of being made perfect in Christ. Communities of faith that are open to the leading of the Spirit often do not settle into comfortable ways of doing things. They are frequently challenged by new people and new ideas. They are willing to forget what they once were as they strive toward their goal of being open to God’s message. This is not easy for those of us who like stability.

Paul’s big challenge was to get those who were accustomed to worship God in Jewish ways to accept that Jesus’ message was for Gentiles as well. Perhaps there is a similar challenge for us to be open to hear what God has to say to us in our day. Stability and comfort should not be our goal; we should strive to listen for the voice of God.

Today’s Text

Philippians 3:1-11 (NIV)
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.
3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh–
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Evening Prayer

And now, from the One who is indeed the giver
of all good gifts:
share what God has given you;
proclaim that God’s love is here;
rest in the power of God’s Spirit
and trust Him to make all things new.

Lord, we need a miracle today.
Like Jesus changing water into wine
at the wedding feast in Cana,
we need a miracle today.
We are tired, Lord, of the hurts of this world.
We are discouraged
in the face of injustice, war, poverty, and indifference.
We need a miracle today, Lord.
Your steadfast love, like a mighty mountain,
will not be moved.
Your gifts, as many as the mighty winds,
cannot be counted.
Your glory, like a mighty torch,
will not be put out.
Lord, crown us with your love.
Show us your glory,
that in you we may be moved
to acts of kindness, love, justice, and mercy.
Lord, we need a miracle today. Amen.

Today’s Challenge

In every community are those who need liberation – the poor who need good news; the physically, psychologically or spiritually blind who need sight; the prisoners who need to be freed. Who are these people in your community? The purpose of Christ is both an invitation to life for all the broken and lost ones (including us), but also a challenge to participate in the work of liberation for those who choose to follow Jesus.

This means that each of us needs to find and fulfil our place and purpose in the Body of Christ, as we work together toward Jesus’ dream of a liberated world. It also means that we need to cling to God’s word and allow it to challenge our injustice and direct our quest to bring life and wholeness to those around us. How can you work within your world to commit to Christ’s purpose so that, to those among you, you may also say (collectively) “today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”?

Thoughts on Today’s Text

Today’s text supply the crucial pieces which are missing from and needed by the lives described in the surrounding verses. Knowing God means knowing of the Lord’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” (verse 5), as well as “righteousness” and “judgments” (verse 6). These are the key attributes that direct God’s interactions with creation.

Furthermore, these are attributes of limitless abundance: extending “to the heavens” and “to the clouds” (verse 5) and comparable to “mighty mountains” and “the great deep” (verse 6). This abundance shows through in that the scope of salvation offered by God.. God’s steadfast love is plentiful enough for “all people” to be able to find refuge (verse 7). The gifts of God are no mere appetizers; instead, God offers a “feast” and drink as though from a “river” (verse 8). The abundance of God contrasts distinctly with the mere ne’um of transgression that began the psalm.