1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-14

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free- and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Ice Flowers

Fifteen-year-old-Wilson Bentley was captivated by the intricate beauty of snowflakes. He looked with fascination through an old microscope his mother had given him and made hundreds of sketched of their remarkable designs, but they melted too quickly to adequately capture their detail. Several years later, in 1885, he had an idea. He attached a bellows camera to the microscope and, after much trial and error, took his first picture of a snowflake. During his lifetime Bentley would capture 5,000 snowflake images and each one was a unique design. He described them as " tiny miracles of beauty" and " ice flowers."
    No two snowflakes are alike, yet all come from the same source. So it is with followers of Christ. We all come from the same Creator and Redeemed, yet we are all different. In God's glorious plan He has chosen to bring a variety of people together into a unified whole, and He has gifted us in various ways. In describing the diversity of gifts to believers, Paul writes: " There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributed them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work" (1 COR. 12:4-6).
    Thank God for the unique contribution you can offer as you help and serve others.
    Dear Lord, thank You for the unique way that You have gifted me. Help me to use my gifts faithfully to serve You and others. Each person is a unique expression of God's loving design.

John 8:39-47

" Abraham is our father," they answered
" If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, " then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way ti kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father."
" We are not illegitimate children," they protested. " The only Father we have is god himself."
    Jesus said to them, "  if god were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, why don't you believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

Undigested Knowledge

In his book on language, British diplomat Lancelot Oliphant (1881-1965) observed that many students give correct answers on tests but fail to put those lessons into practice. " Such Undigested knowledge is of little use," declared Oliphant.
   Author Barnabas Piper noticed a parallel in his own life: " I thought I was close to God because I knew all the answers," he said, " but I had fooled myself into thinking that was the same as relationship with Jesus."
   At the temple one day, Jesus encountered people who thought they had all the right answers. They were proudly proclaiming their status as Abraham's descendents yet refused to believe in God's Son.
   "If you were Arbraham's children," said Jesus, " then you would do what Abraham did" (John 8:39). And what was that? Abraham " believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (GEN. 15:6). Still, Jesus' hearers refused to believe. " The only Father we have is God himself," they said (JOHN 8:41). Jesus replied, " Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God"
   Piper recalls how things " fell apart" for him before he " encountered God's grace and the person of Jesus in a profound way." When we allow God's truth to transform our lives, we gain much more than the right answer. We introduce the world to Jesus.
   Father, thank you that You receive anyone who turns to You in faith.
   Faith is not accepting the fact of God but of receiving the life of God.

Colossians1:15-20

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Jesus Over Everything

My friend's son decided to wear a sports jersey over his school clothing one day. He wanted to show support for his favorite team that would be playing an important game later that night. Before leaving home, he put something on over his sports jersey-it was a chain with a pendant that read, "Jesus." His simple action illustrated a deeper truth: Jesus deserves first place over everything in our lives.
    Jesus is above and over all. "He id before all things, and in him all things hold together" (COL 1:17). Jesus is supreme over all creation. He is "the head of the body, the church". Because of this, He should have first place in all things.
    When we give Jesus the highest place of honor in each area of our lives, this truth becomes visible to those around us. At work, are we laboring first for God or only to please our employer?. Do we put him first as we live our lives and pursue our favorite pastimes?
    When Jesus is our greatest influence in all of life, He will have His rightful place in our hearts.
    Dear Jesus, You deserve the best of my time, energy, and affection. I crown You King of my heart and Lord over everything I do.
    Put Jesus First.

News and Views: JOHN 4:31-34

News and Views: JOHN 4:31-34

JOHN 4:31-34

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, " I have food to eat that you know nothing about." Then his disciples said to eachother," Could someone have brought him food?" "My food." said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

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