Day 29: The Call to Faith
Scripture to meditate on: Romans 12:3 Each According to the Measure of Faith
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Devotional:
Romans chapter 12 goes on to talk about the different gifts given to us the body of Christ that differ from one another because we need each other to operate as a body. These gifts are according to the grace given us and we use them according to the proportion of Faith apportioned to us by God.
Romans 12:6-8 (NLT), In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well… If your gift is serving others, serve them well… If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously… And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
God gives each of us in His Church, the body of Christ, the ability to serve one another in multiple ways as shown in Romans chapter 12. We therefore should not look down on ourselves nor others regarding our contribution. There will always be the temptation to compare ourselves with others. God apportions His Grace and Faith to do His work according to His eternal will and purpose and not to exalt one person over another. None of us should despise ourselves when it comes to serving God and neither should anyone ever boast in the presence of God as if it were meritorious. It is God who gives Grace to all.
1 Peter 4:10 speaks about the gifts we’ve been given: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
The season of remembering and the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ presents a great opportunity to each one of us to serve God through serving others. Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45), we are reminded to serve at every given opportunity. As the scripture in Romans 12 shows us, we can also participate in the redemptive work of Christ and also bring comfort, joy and gladness to someone. Peter in his letter, in 1 Peter 4:10, admonishes each of us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
What stands out for me from the scripture as applicable to the season is to serve others well… to be encouraging to others… to give generously… and to gladly show kindness to others.
Questions to ponder:
- What does this passage say about God?
- What does this passage say about me or my relationships?
- What should I do in light of this passage?
