Ordinary Time

January 13, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. –1 Corinthians 4-9

I wander into activities that seem to be above my pay grade. The digital world drives me crazy as the software providers seem to be in a race to see who can develop the greatest new thing without notifying their customers; they have changed everything overnight. The thing I hate the most is signing on to do something very important and needed quickly to be greeted by a message an update needs to be made. If I make the update, I do not have a clue what they have changed and how to deal with it. So, when I read in the scripture above you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank God for filling in the gaps often with others who share in the work.

Paul describes these spiritual gifts in Romans 12. They are summarized as—(a) perceiving, (b) serving, (c) teaching, (d) encouraging, (e) giving, (f) ruling, and (g) mercy* The first one, perceiving, is probably what I need the most when wrestling with the computer dragon or an eight-year-old might be more helpful. These gifts are all important. Perceiving the situation I am trying to address gives me the motivation to make the effort to learn what I need to learn to complete my mission. Serving, however, is the primary reason for all that we do as we serve the Lord. Teaching, encouraging, and giving are all important as we work together as a community of faith striving to build a better world. I do not know about the ruling gift, but I defiantly need mercy and to show mercy.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gifts of the spirit that undergird all that we do in your name.. Amen.

*See at https://www.regent.edu/journal/journal-of-biblical-perspectives-in-leadership/romans-12-spiritual-gifts/#:~:text=The%20seven%20motivational%20gifts%20found,people%20regardless%20of%20faith%20tradition.