Frank sends out emails to the men each week. Thank you Frank for letting me share this with everyone!
Thought for the Week
Last night in Dave's class we had a lively discussion about what we thought was the most compelling part of our faith. It started when a gentleman in the group stated that he thought it was very important for each of us to help spread the gospel to all nations. ( Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost....also known as the great commission). Another person in the room countered with their thought that we were to love God foremost and others secondly in our own way (Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment, And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.) So, what do you think? Who is right? Or maybe they both got it wrong....I think it's also very important that we teach each other how to walk with the Lord on a daily basis. As I thought about this discussion on the way home I became convinced that what we had just experienced was a "clash" of spiritual gifts. Romans 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. We are all drawn to serve the Lord in different ways according to the talents/gifts that we possess. But here's the rub. As humans we feel very compelled to defend our viewpoint. What's right for me must be right for others, right? I mean, I've spent a lot of soul searching trying to determine how the Lord would use me so, once I find it that must mean that what I've found is the right path for all of us, right? You can see where I'm going with this. I'm happy to report that while our discussion was spirited it was also very respectful of each other. I was just reminded once again of how easy it is for us to try and judge others by what is right for us. So, resist the urge to measure others faith by what is right for you. The second part of the lesson is this: We were each given spiritual gifts for a reason....to use them!!! We need to be contributing to the body in one way or another. 1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. This passage comes right after a listing of spiritual gifts and the intent is obvious, we each have a role to play and each role is equally important. The only wrong answer is not playing/participating.
Have a great week,
Frank
949.547.8635
frank@theeffect.org
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