“… Strive to excel in building up the church. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also … Otherwise, … how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.“
(1 Corinthians 14:12b-15a, 16b-2 ESV)
Paul cracks me up. I mean, really—imagine just casually saying something like this at church some day: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” It sounds like the worst kind of bragging, doesn’t it?
But maybe not. Because Paul mentions it here, not to show off his own spiritual gifts, but to deflate the ego of the people he wrote to, who were having arguments about who was the “most spiritual.” Who has the most gifts, the best gifts? That doesn’t matter. The real issue is “How can we build up the church?” I may have so many spiritual gifts they come oozing out my ears, but if they aren’t making my Christian brothers and sisters stronger, they’re just wasted.
Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus gave us life and forgiveness, and brought us into His body—the body of Christ, the church. And now, as our Head, He directs us in everything we do. And body parts don’t waste their time having competitions or focusing on their own special interests. No, they work together, so that the whole body grows up and matures.
So talk to Jesus, the Head of the body. You are a member of the body of Christ, with gifts to use in His service. How does He want you to help grow up the church?
If you have the gift of teaching, that will help us all learn more about Jesus; if someone else has the gift of evangelism, that will bring even more people into the faith, and the body will continue to grow. Even humble gifts like giving and administration are utterly necessary for the church to grow and flourish. Your gifts are not your own, they belong to the body, and to the Holy Spirit who gives them; and when you use them to build up the Lord’s people, we all give thanks to God for them. Because your service reflects in a tiny way the service of Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us—so that we might become forgiven, beloved children of God.
We Pray: Dear Lord, help me to know the gifts You have given me, and to use them joyfully to serve Your people. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on January 5, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Name as many spiritual gifts as you can. You can use 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:3-8.
2. What is one gift you think you might have?
3. How can you use it to strengthen the church of Jesus?