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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : THE SUBTLE AND COMMON TEMPTATIONS OF EACH MEMBER...PT 2

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endlessjoe
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Joined: 2010/10/26
Posts: 157
University of Calabar Nigeria

 THE SUBTLE AND COMMON TEMPTATIONS OF EACH MEMBER...PT 2

TEXT: 1 COR. 12:12-16
"For the body is not one member, but many./If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?/And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

Sequel to the previous line of thought in our present meditation, we deem it fit to reiterate emphatically again and again that: God's giftings are various and divers with the result that each member of the mystic body of Christ is unique in gift and operation. God distributes these gifts according to the counsel of His will...He is the all-wise God. And before Him, no gift is to be despised! All that He gives are for the edification or the building of the mystic body of Christ.

So the saints must be dragged to a point where each and every one of them accepts this eternal fact, namely, that our gifts are different and no man is limitless in office and giftings. Let us with humility accept that the body is not one, but many members! Let us embrace in humility that there are certain things we are not engraced to do which other members could do effortlessly.

May we bow before Roman 12:4 which announces to all: "...we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office" and whisper in submission, "Lord, I know now that I have not the same function with so and so person...I accept his function in the body and cherish that which you have given me! Amen!" May our eyes see this liberating truth! Some in ignorance of this truth, have broken rank and file in God's army, thereby piecing their spirits with the dart of malice and jealousy. Others have broken away for want of proper appreciation of the government of this mystic body.

Having laid this solid foundation, we desire to proceed to the main gist of this meditation. No doubt, there are members of the body of Christ whose status look appealing and enviable by reason of God's giftings in their lives. Their appreciation of the nature of the workings of God and the results that ensue from their lives make them popular and visible to everybody. There is nothing wrong with this, but note that we are not called into popularity...popularity is not the target here.

However, a man's gifts bring him to the fore...there are gifts that are not compatible with popularity...men with such gifts should not push their ways to the fore, for if they do, their gifts may become dry and irrelevant. The manure for some gifts is obscurity...though the gift is vital, yet the recipient of it must stay obscure and serve God from behind the scene. That a man is obscure does not mean he is useless.

In Mathew 6, a man gave arms in secrete but was rewarded openly and another gave in public and blew trumpet on it but was awarded nothing to his credit. The same thing happened to those men that prayed, fasted and announced same to the whole world but lost their reward on the other hand some did the opposite and got God's attention.

The point here is, every member should quietly serve God and turn his back on both obscurity and popularity. The question is not who does the work but whether the work has been done! Brother, supposed God, in His wisdom, deems it fit to make you effective amongst the children, being kept at the rear, would you still serve joyfully? Popularity is not equal to usefulness and effectiveness! A man can be well known yet useless! A man may be obscure yet effective...in all our gettings and longings, let us get and long for usefulness...all these hidden motive to be popular in the things of God is but a rat race.

Sometimes after ministration, people would walk up to me and say, "you will go far! You will be popular and nations will hear you!" But I would tell myself that these men do not understand! Popularity of the vessel is not the gist of the gospel but Jesus and Him crucified!

So, some must be known while others would remain unknown yet fulfilled! To fulfil destiny does not suggest being popular. Fulfilment is measured by God and God alone. Mr Smith may be asked by God to read Bible to the hearing of the aged all his life while Mr Jark may be requested and enabled to preach to billions of souls and be in all the Tv stations. The natural thing is for Mr Smith to start feeling unfulfilled. But the truth is, before God Mr Smith actually would have fulfilled his destiny if did what God asked him to do. To fulfil destiny is to do what God wants a man to do not what he LIKES OR CAN DO. To be continued.


_________________
Emeka Joe Uzosike

 2014/5/3 7:02Profile





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