“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV

An experienced mason building a house carefully hand-selects each stone for just the right fit for each particular position in a wall. Likewise, the Heavenly Father handpicks each of us as Christ-followers in our roles for building the house of God.

Just as Jesus was handpicked for suffering, I may find rejection and pain in this life of faith as a living stone. My value comes in knowing I am who God says I am: chosen, top-shelf, and He’s using me to build a royal priesthood of worshippers!

May it give you confidence to know you are not a random rock crammed into place, but a highly prized precious stone valued by your Maker. 🚦

“Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 HCSB

This scripture is never so clearly displayed as when one goes to worship services at two completely different denominations on a given Sunday. There may be acoustic, contemplative singing in one, and a full band with a rock vibe in another. Both are lifting their voices to God in praise and honor to Him, but the styles and giftings of the leaders are different.

Different churches will also have different ministries according to the heart interests of its members and leadership. The church on the corner may have a fabulous ministry for the military and their families, while the church across town is reaching out to the homeless in its community. Different activities but the same Spirit is active in each.

Our God is an active God who does not sit by idly as a spectator, and He expects His followers to use the gifts He has given in their own heart languages. What ministry speaks to your soul? What can you do to take the next step of involvement? 🚦

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?”

1 Corinthians 12:17-19 HCSB

Recently I had a lot of work done on one of our vehicles to get it in good working order for a new driver. I’m pretty sure the Freon did not sit and compare itself to the catalytic converter. I couldn’t buy extra Freon to replace the catalytic converter, either, though that would have been much cheaper! Rotors on the rear wheels could not have been replaced by an oil filter. All these things were needed for the car to run safely and comfortably, the way it was built to work.

The body of believers is like that car. Each of us has unique giftings given by God to use to bring glory to Him. It’s tempting to get caught up in a spiritual comparison game when we see someone whose gifts put them in a position in the limelight while we are serving quietly in the background, but all the kinds of gifts, whether teaching, helps, or encouraging, are needed for the body of Christ to function. Are you using your abilities to your full capacity to God’s glory? 🚦

“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts,”

Romans 12:3, 6 a HCSB

God has given to each of us a measure of faith and different gifts to use to build up the body of Christ. God does not want me to sit around navel-gazing, so absorbed in my own circumstances I am rendered unable to use the abilities He has given me. When my mindset is wrong, when my focus is no longer on the cross, no longer heavenward, faith flies out the window. There is no faith in self-absorption; there is nothing sensible about it!

Today, may you turn your focus to heaven and grasp hold of the measure of faith you’ve been given. Glorify God by using the gifts He has given you to build up and encourage others in the body of Christ. 🚦

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4 HCSB

Rivalry and conceit are, indeed, prime motivating factors in competition as we know it in the American free market economy. Our human nature is to look out for ourselves first and foremost, but God tells us to stop and look beyond ourselves to the needs and interests of others. In God’s economy there is no place for rivalry next to unity, striving next to peace, jealousy next to contentedness.

Unity in Christ comes when we place others before ourselves for the cause of Christ. 🚦

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“And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time.”

I Peter 5:5-6 HCSB

When I get up in the morning, when I put on my jeans and cool kicks, before I have any interaction with anyone, I need to dress my heart in an attitude of preference to those around me. I will choose them over myself because I’ve placed my own self at the foot of the cross. Only when my own heart is rightly positioned before God can I humbly connect with others in my path. This is the heart attitude God honors.

“So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Colossians 3:1-4 HCSB

It’s easy to get caught up wanting a spotlight when you have done something good. Maybe you want a benefactor to trip all over themselves thanking you for your valuable contribution after volunteering your time for the charity golf tournament. Perhaps a shout out from the pulpit for your tireless work in the church nursery? But God’s Word tells us to focus on heaven, not on the things of this world. The good we do comes from Him, not of ourselves, and thus is to be credited to Him. One day we will be judged for the pleasing works we have done and our motivation behind doing them. At that time, the good we have done in secret from a pure heart seeking to bring glory to Him will be revealed. Wait for it.

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

It seems ironic that we as women and men we will use every anti-aging serum and cream advertised in magazines to ward off the evil lines that tell us we are getting older, yet somehow we want the wisdom we get that comes with time and experience, often associated with a certain look of “maturity.”

Do we hang our hats on our inward posture before our Holy God the way we do our outward appearance before the world? We need to care as much about growing in patience, kindness, and gentleness as we do having a perfectly coiffed braid. Are we loving our neighbors well, with more fervor and intention than it took to select that stylish outfit?

I encourage you today to spend daily one on one time with God, reading His Word, letting it soak into you and speak to you. Pray with a heart of gratitude, asking for guidance so that you are learning what He wants to teach you. A little time with Him every day will change your inward and outward countenance.

“He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; He does not value the power of a man. The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.”

Psalms 147:10-11 HCSB

Powerful, brawny creatures, horses are able to carry up to three times their own weight. Sometimes we get to feeling like we are supposed to carry three times our own weight in burdens. The world around us tells us to “cowboy up!”

God is not impressed by our pull-ourselves-up-by-our-bootstraps mentality. He desires pure, submissive hearts bowed in humility before Him, ready to follow where He leads, leaning into His strength. When we share a yoke with Jesus, He does the heavy lifting. 🚦

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“Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.”

1 John 3:1 HCSB

“You just don’t get me!” Jordan was so frustrated with Stanton once again. Was he expecting too much from his best friend? He thought after all these years Stanton would understand Jordan’s first priority with choosing a college was not athletics but the school’s spiritual focus. Stanton still did not see this as a significant reason for selecting schools, especially when Jordan was such a gifted athlete.

“Stanton doesn’t understand your choices because he doesn’t know Jesus. This priority is foreign to him, and you will need to show him grace,” shared Jordan’s Young Life leader Ryan.

We as believers cannot expect an unbelieving world to “get” us when the world did not know and still does not know Jesus. If we, as followers of Christ, are walking in the likeness of Jesus, we should not expect that the world will understand us. We march to a different beat, the heartbeat of Jesus. What stirs our hearts will likely look different from what excites the person next to you. Do not be surprised or ashamed that your unbelieving friends don’t seem to know you; this is an opportunity to tell them about the Savior.