A few comments on the Epistle reading from November 27, 2011 …
One phrase jumps out at me from this passage: you are not lacking in any spiritual gift. (v. 7)
I wish I could paste this verse onto the college students and young adults I meet! Yes, it would look ridiculous to have people walking around with words that I glued to their shirts. Still, I wish I could help more followers of Christ understand that they are enriched, strengthened, and and called by him.
We preach so much nonsense about self-esteem in our culture, to the point that it backfires and folks are left even more doubtful and afraid. “Believing in ourselves” becomes a dry well, and no matter how furiously we dig, water won’t emerge. Allowing Jesus’ living water to flow over us, however, is a different matter.
I enjoy reading daily devotionals and blogs on The High Calling, a site for Christians who want to think about spirituality and daily life. One recent post highlighted the fears we all face and the change of heart that comes from drawing strength from God to face fear.
God has given us what we need: how many times will we need to hear it before we believe it? We may not receive God’s gifts in the exact form we had imagined (a certain job, a certain date.) We may not receive God’s gifts in the form that others wanted for us. (Every academic year produces scores of disappointed parents, despondent because their child chose a major different than the ones the parents wanted.)
Yet we already have immeasurable spiritual gifts, like patience, faith, and mercy. Christ has given us the power and the freedom to use those gifts in everything that we do. The Savior f0r whom we hope will not leave us wanting.
Pastor2K 