Leaders Equip Everyone to Do the Ministry
Daily Scripture
1 Corinthians 12:27-30, Ephesians 4:11-13
1 Corinthians 12
27 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. 28 In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. 29 All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they? 30 All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they?
Ephesians 4
11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The apostle Paul wrote the two passages you just read over two thousand years ago. Yet they are timeless, applying to each Christ-follower in 2025. The church is “the body of Christ,” so each member is an integral part of a larger whole. If one person with one gift is missing, the entire body suffers. As the body works together, unity and power come into being. We do not acquire or use these gifts on our own strength, but only through the Holy Spirit at work within us.
- Are you clear about which of these gifts the Spirit has given you? If not, ask one or more people who know you well what gifts they see in you. You can also click here to access a short introduction to spiritual gifts discovery that we use at The Church of the Resurrection. Once you have a sense of what your gifts are, how are you using those gifts as a witness to the Good News, who helps to build up the body of Christ?
- You may have heard that “pastors and teachers” should do all the key church work, and you get to be “just a member.” No—Ephesians said God’s purpose was that “pastors and teachers… equip God’s people for the work of serving.” You have God-given gifts, aptitudes and interests God can use. But spiritual gifts seldom arrive fully formed, so you probably have room to grow in using your gifts effectively. After identifying them, how are you developing your spiritual gifts?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, you have gifted me in unique ways so that the Kingdom might come to earth. Help me to recognize the joy and responsibility of my giftedness. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lauren Cook
Lauren Cook, who serves as Director of Online Engagement & Entry Points at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insight. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, a bookworm, and is always planning her next trip. She has the sweetest (and sassiest) daughter, Carolina Rae, a rockstar husband, Austin, and a cutie pup named Thunder. She loves connecting with others so let her know the best place you've ever eaten, best book you've ever read, or best place you've ever been!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought: “I’m not good enough.” I’m raising both of my hands, and I have a feeling most of you probably are, too.
I’ve thought I wasn’t good enough more times than I can count in my life. In middle school, I was the new girl with braces, glasses, and an awkward haircut. Definitely not good enough. In high school, I made the cheerleading squad but didn’t have the same tumbling and stunting skills as others. Definitely not good enough. In college, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in and I didn’t know how to make friends when those around me were interested in very different things than I was. Definitely not good enough. And in adulthood, I struggled to become a mother and then struggled as a new mom, I struggled to find the right job fit for me, I continued to struggle to make friends…
Here’s the point: I’ve questioned my worth every step of the way. That little voice in my head that is anything but quiet has told me time and time again that everyone else has it all figured out, everyone else is surrounded by friends, everyone else has a beautiful, well-kept home, everyone else is killin’ it at work and at home and mostly? I’m not.
These thoughts are harmful and untrue, and yet, most of us have them. What are we missing? How do we change the narrative? How do we scratch these tapes and play a new song?
God.
As humans, we so easily forget who made us. We so easily forget that the Creator who designed a sky full of stars, crashing waves in a vast ocean, breathtaking mountains, and all of creation made you, too. We so easily forget that God loves each of us uniquely and yet just as much, and created each of us in the divine image—which is to say, perfectly.
What if, instead of looking at others and seeing their highlights as our deficiencies, we looked at others as part of a larger picture that we ourselves are also needed for?
What if we looked at the person who is wildly creative as the needed opposite to our incredible attention for detail? What if we looked at the person who is so good at speaking in front of others as the needed piece next to our skills to plan the event they are speaking at? What if we looked at the mom who makes perfect snack boxes as inspiration, knowing that she looks to us for inspiration on how we plan a really great birthday party?
What if God knew what God was doing this whole time? (Spoiler alert: He did.)
Your brain and our world will always try to make you feel small, unnecessary, and not good enough, so I want you to hear this: You are not too much or too little, our world wouldn’t be complete without you as you were made to be, you are more necessary than you’ll ever know, and you are more than enough. Everything God made you to be is needed in this world, just as everything God made someone else to be is needed in this world.
As a dear friend of mine wrote in a song that has buried itself in my heart:
“If I could be stronger, then I would be worthier. If I could be wiser, then I would rise higher. If I could be perfect, I would be worthy. If I could be, if I could be…
But you say that I am more than enough, I am your beloved. I’m letting of what could be, affirming what’s in me, your love is enough.
When my world spins around, set my feet to the ground, you’re holding me up and that is more than enough. Teach me your love song time and time again, remind me of your goodness so I never forget, I’m part of your story, I’m part of your plan. Made in your image, made by your hand.”
You are beloved. You are needed. You are enough. Share who you are with the world, today.
