JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Discover Your Gifts and Ministry"

Psalm 100:1-3  "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!  Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

Colossians 3:23-24  "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

1 Corinthians 12:4-26  "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.  For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.

If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?  If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be?  But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need.  But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

Insight: Every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift to be used for God's glory.  We need to discover our gift (or gifts) and begin using it (or them) to minister to others.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and help us to find our spiritual gift or gifts.  Thank you for those who you've blessed with several gifts.  Help Christians to use their gifts for your glory and not simply earthly gain.  Thank you for your love for us and your patience with us.  There is no other like You!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On January 23, 1960, An underwater vehicle called the Trieste descended to the deepest part of the ocean. With two researchers on board, the submersible dropped 35,800 feet into the Mariana Trench, just off Guam in the western Pacific Ocean. The descent took nearly five hours. Very little is know about this remote undersea world. The deep sea trench was found to hold fascinating sea creatures, some that glow like fireflies. The Creator has blessed every part of the earth with life in abundance, including the lowest depths of the sea. Long ago Job was asked by God, “Have you... walked in the recesses of the deep?” (Job 38:16).

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Is it harder for you to love the lost or the believers?  Why?

The King we worship has enemies.

The enemies of God try to tarnish Jesus' reputation.

The enemies of Christ give us the opportunity to shine and share the good news.

We can't know for certain who is and will be a sheep or a goat.

Some of the worst persecutors become amazing witnesses for Jesus.

Some people will hate the fact that you have security in your faith.

The Devil's plan didn't work because he couldn't outsmart Jesus Christ.

If you're saved, someone has prayed for your salvation.

The world wants Christians to be impotent.

Be careful how you treat your persecutors.

Seeking the kingdom is about the way you treat other people and about the way you use your resources.

Submit your instinct and emotion to God's will.

We should be preparing ourselves and the people in our circles of influence for Christ's coming.

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, Jason Gastrich, and Howard Everett.  If you like to read more wise quotes, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.