by Pastor Mark Shupe
In January, I decided to embark on a plan to read through the Bible in one year. The reading schedule now has me in Old Testament books that most people (including myself) avoid or skim over, one of those being 1 Chronicles.
The book begins with several chapters of genealogies listing names that are impossible to pronounce (try Hazzelelponi for example). However, in chapter nine, things get a little more interesting when we read of various ways the Israelites served God and His people.
The list includes priests who officiated sacrificial services, gatekeepeers who guarded the treasuries of God, and people who served in the house of God as craftsmen, counters of utensils, preparers of spices used for sacrifices, keepers of the furniture and singers for worship. People served God in all kinds of ways – some in what might have seemed mundane and insignificant ways – yet they all were so valuable in the sight of God that they are mentioned in Scripture.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul uses the analogy of the body to highlight the need and value of all the ways to serve God.
For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. (1 Corinthians 12:14-18)
Each individual believer in Christ makes up what is known as the universal Body of Christ that includes all local bodies that are called churches. God has given every member of the body natural and spiritual gifts to be employed in serving Him and His people. And as we are reminded in both the Old and New Testaments, no service is insignificant or meaningless. All service truly matters to God!
At Cornerstone Church, the list of valuable and meaningful service to God includes managing our landscape, cleaning the facility, counting the offering, preparing communion elements, running sound and video, greeting and ushering, teaching kids, youth and adult classes, leading worship by playing an instrument or singing, and so many more. The bottom line is we all have gifts and talents that God has designed to be utilized in serving Him.
To help discover those gifts and talents, try the following:
- Make a list of things you really enjoy doing.
- What have you done in your life where you have consistently received affirming feedback?
- Read more about spiritual gifts and download a spiritual gift survey by clicking here.
- Contact us at office@ccsbc.org to get plugged into a needed and valuable area of service.
