Heavenly Father I praise You today for life. For the precious little time we have here on the earth. I praise You for all the nature around me and for the differences in all of the people I encounter. I praise You for making us unique, yet we can be unified when we join in Your will under Your umbrella.
Holy Spirit as I continue working through the wisdom Paul wrote while in Rome in prison help me to glean from his words when he wrote, inspired by You: “for just as we have many parts in one body, and not all parts have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and all are parts of one another. We have diverse gifts according to the grace that is given to us: if prophecy, according to the proportion of faith; if service, in serving; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Help me to begin to see and comprehend this division of gifts, help me to appreciate those with the gift of prophecy for they will give us clear guide rails to keep us walking correctly towards God. Help me to never take for granted people with the gift of serving for they see needs of others I will never see. Help me to appreciate people with the gift of teaching for they enjoy like me to look deeper into Your word and to help mentor others. Holy Spirit help me to allow people with the gift of exhortation to exhort me to be a better follower of the Way. Give me understanding in how givers learn to give in a way that builds the kingdom and makes wise investments with their time to build into people. Let me be wise to see those who You give the gift of leadership to come under their authority so I can demonstrate my trust in You to lead them to lead me. Give me a heart of compassion for those You have bestowed the gift of mercy on because they bear many people’s burdens and always seek peace in their community.
Holy Spirit help me to witness all these gifts working in unity so that the body can be functioning at its peak efficiency in serving You. Help me to foster an environment that will allow people to grow in their gifts and demonstrate Your will. Teach me to be observant and appreciate the difference of each person and each gift while operating in unity to build the kingdom.
We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen. [2 Thessalonians 1:11&12]