“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” Psalm 84:11-12, NIV.

The Psalmist mentions just before this that he would rather be a doorkeeper for the Lord than to be in the tent of the wicked.  God is the giver of all things good, and He freely gives to those who truly love and trust Him.  In fact, this text says that He withholds NOTHING from those who are truly obedient to Him, whose walk is blameless.

I don’t believe that this is meant to mean “sinless.”  I do believe that this is talking about those whose walk with the Lord is evident to all; one who deals immediately and properly with sin in his or her life.

I don’t need to be perfect but I do need to be the best possible version of myself that the Lord God Almighty created me to be.  This does not give me the right to freely and deliberately sin, knowing that forgiveness is always available.  Planned or premeditated sin is a slap in the face to the Lord as you are basically saying to Him, “My ways are better than Yours.”  Good luck with that one!

To be the best possible version of myself I must cast off everything that I desire to be in my own mind.  Then I must give the Lord free reign to mold me into His image.

Lord, I am neither sinless nor blameless.  Many times I choose my ways over yours.  Forgive me for not trusting You as completely as I should.  I desire to have a walk with You that is blameless.  This can only be achieved by drawing closer to Your side!  Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:14-27.

Sometimes being a team player means that you will receive little if any recognition.  Some jobs are simply not performed in plain view for everybody else to see.  For example, playing defense as your primary focus on a basketball team doesn’t provide nearly the recognition of those who score most of the points.  This principle applies to the church as well.  Sometimes, this can present some difficult feelings and issues that must be understood.

Vv. 14-20.  Gift comparison can be a troublesome event.  Sometimes those who are in the less public positions feel as if they are ignored or under-appreciated.  This can lead to jealousy, envy, or even a lack of self-worth.  Just because you have a less visible gift does not make you unimportant at all.

I’ll use myself as an example.  I am a Pastor, called by God to lead.  Of the spiritual gifts that I have received by God’s grace, the gift of evangelism is not one of them.  An irrational response would be to state that this means I am not qualified to be a Pastor in God’s kingdom work.  Paul told Timothy to do the work of an evangelist.  It is frequently stated in the minds and lives of many people that evangelism is primarily the preacher’s job – to witness in the community.  So am I supposed to feel bad or disqualified?  No.

Vv. 21-26.  Sometimes when people get caught in this comparison trap, they respond with an unhealthy dose of gift elevation.  It would be easy for me to flaunt the gifts I do possess as a defense mechanism against those I do not.  I could state from my ego that my training as a minister places me above the need for particular gifts and that I can handle the situation without them.  This too is an irrational response.

Have you ever known an egotistical worker in the church?  They’re tough to deal with.

The solution is to understand that some gifts from above are simply more visible and get more attention and credit than others.  Paul is reminding us here that nobody is more or less important than anybody else in God’s kingdom work.  In fact, these “lesser” jobs should get more glory to show equality in the family of God.

I believe that those who worked in the church yesterday to clean and prepare for today are just as important as me.  I believe that those who scrape up the food and deliver trash to the dump are equally as important as the Deacons.  All jobs are vital and essential in God’s kingdom work!

V.27.  Leadership roles will be defined later, but the critical issue here is TEAM.  All of God’s people are gifted and therefore empowered to serve a specific role in His work.  Therefore, all of us are also required to be good stewards of that which the Lord has so freely given each of us.

If these gifts from God are neglected, frustration results.  The individual is frustrated for not doing what they are called to do, the church is frustrated because others must pick up the slack of the neglected job, and God is certainly being let down because of His present being ignored.  Everybody has a specific task.

God’s kingdom work is not all glamor and glory.  We must not look down or feel as if we need to look up to others.  Each member of God’s family is vitally important.

Everybody has something to contribute.  Excuses are not acceptable because ultimately you are telling God, “No.”  Maybe we need to hear the voice of the Lord asking us today, “What did you do with the talents I gave you?”

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours,” Psalm 128:1-2, NIV.

The writer of this Psalm goes on to say that his wife and sons will be a blessing and shares the hope of living long enough to see your children’s children.  Knowing we will be blessed for walking in the Lord’s way is one thing.  Using the potential for being blessed as my motivation for service is something entirely different.

One key in these words to me as I read them today is how we will basically get out of our relationship with God what we put into it.  We will be rewarded but only for that which we deserve an have earned.  I throw the “but” idea in here as a warning and an incentive.  I must not expect God to bless me for no reason and must increase what I put into my relationship with Him.  My ultimate reward is knowing God and the fullness of His love.  What more do I need?

At the same time however, the grace of God is not to be ignored.  God’s grace is favor undeserved.  I do not earn my salvation or spiritual gifts or blessings from above.  God sometimes chooses to bless in incredible ways and that is His prerogative.  I’m not saying that I don’t want to be blessed, but I cannot allow that “want” to be what drives me to serve the Lord I love.

I think the lesson for today is ultimately this – faithfulness and the results thereof.  I must be far more concerned with how I am faithfully following the Lord Jesus Christ than I am in the blessings I’ll receive if I do so.

I think that there is a real danger in expecting God to bless you.  My works do not earn me special merit if they are done for that purpose.  All that I do for Him must have my love for God and my desire to do His will in serving others as my sole motivation.  Anything else is selfish and should not be rewarded.

Lord, why do I serve You?  You know that many times even I forget.  Please help me do everything not only in Your name but for the reason of my love for You.  You alone are my life and my all and You alone are who I choose to serve because of my love for You.

1 Corinthians 12:1-12.

I love “working” a puzzle.  Diane and I will get one started once in a while and it won’t take long for Derek and Doug to join us.  While we may not be the speediest of puzzlists around the world, it is always a fun thing to do.  There is only one time when putting together a puzzle results in frustration and aggravation – when a piece is missing!

God puts the church together much like a puzzle.  There are pieces of various sizes and shapes.  They are mixed and matched and pieced together in such a way that we can see in time precisely how He formulates the portrait known as His church.

These verses show some basic principles for understanding the church.  God is the architect and deliberately puts diversified parts into His masterpiece.  Because of His great love and sovereignty we can understand the thrill of unity absent uniformity.  Chapter 13 in this book helps us to understand that love must always be the motivation we use when exercising our gifts and service.  Passages such as Ephesians 4:11-13 and 1 Peter 4:10 also help us remember that each part has a specific role to play and that if those roles are not played, the resulting picture is that of a puzzle without all of the pieces.

Have you ever seen one?  It is aggravating because you can tell that it just isn’t right; it isn’t completed.

So how does one discern their gift?  May I suggest some simple steps to get you started?

1. Prayer.  If prayer isn’t part of every aspect of our Christian walk, then we probably have bigger problems than trying to figure out what our gifts are.
2. Develop close Christian relationships.  You will find yourself responding to needs within the body of Christ.
3. Allow the church to share what they see in you.  Your gifts will be identified by the believers you see, worship, and work with on a regular basis.
4. As your gifts become identified, seek out opportunities to use these very gifts.
5. Continue exercising spiritual disciplines.  Read your Bible daily.  Pray for others.  Give without hesitation.

The closer you get to someone the easier it is to hear them whisper.  God can be found in the still, small voice just like He was for Ezekiel.  He has a master plan for us as individuals and the church.  The closer we draw to Him, the clearer His instructions will become.

Don’t be the missing piece to God’s puzzle.  There is danger in neglecting the gift God has given you.

I wonder what portrait God is creating from our puzzle.

“They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes.  Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon,” 2 Kings 25:7, NIV.

That may not be a passage used in many devotional thoughts, but sometimes reading more helps bring things to light.  This was part of the story about King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians overtaking Jerusalem.  What we are also told in 2 Chronicles 36 is that Zedekiah was not a ruler who had followed after God, choosing evil as a lifestyle.  Was this his punishment from the Lord?  Notice the great humiliation of the deed.

Evil has no limits.  It is still very strong and deranged today.  People are still violently killed for their faith in Jesus.  I just read the other day of a Christian who was murdered for taking a drink from a cup that was generally used by another faith group.  What bothers me the most about today’s passage is how a man who chose the path of evil had evil as his last and lasting sight.

It makes me think about the choices and I make and their consequences.  If I choose to live a life of obedience, then perhaps I will be blessed to see the fruits of my labor.  But a warning may seem a bit louder from these words; if I choose to live a life of evil and follow the ways of the world instead of the ways of the Lord, then the consequences are sure to come.  I cannot allow myself to go through life, let alone this day, with a sense of double vision – seeking to do what is best for me in my circumstances or meets my temporary needs.  I cannot ride the fence on this.

Either way, I have a choice between right and wrong, good and bad, evil or righteousness.  My choice will have a consequence determined upon the path I follow.

Lord, I ask today that you give me the courage to choose what is right.  Help me to see the world through Your eyes!