1 Corinthians 12 Devotional

Every Part Placed by God

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.”1 Corinthians 12:27 (BSB)

Paul begins his teaching on spiritual gifts with a confession. No one can truly say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (12:3), so every believer who honors Christ already has the Spirit at work in them. Paul then lists varied gifts, from wisdom and faith to prophecy and tongues, and stresses that one Spirit gives each of them as he determines, for the common good (12:4-11).

Then he pictures the church as a body. A foot cannot quit the body because it is not a hand, and an eye cannot tell a hand it is not needed (12:15-21). God has arranged every part as he chose, and he gives greater honor to the parts that seem weaker, so that the members care for one another and suffer and rejoice together (12:18, 22-26). Your place in Christ's body was given by God, not earned or chosen. So you can stop comparing your gifts with others' and serve gladly with what he has given you for their good.

To think about: Whose part in the body have you overlooked, or which of your own gifts have you dismissed, and how could you honor it this week?