One Body, Different Parts: Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

Different parts 

If some wonderful, elderly Mexican women ever offer you a tamale, make sure you remove the corn husk before your first bite. One day, years ago, I chomped into an unchewable husk, and the ladies from my English class roared with laughter. In my defense, I was a gringo from Wisconsin who was uninformed about the details of Mexican cuisine.

Being uninformed can be dangerous. It’s true with Mexican tamales. And it’s true with Christians. That’s what Paul wrote to the Corinthians—“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed” (12:1). Paul wanted to inform his friends about the unique ways that the Holy Spirit wires and equips us to glorify God. Without Paul’s help, they would fall into that obsessive comparison trap where some smugly felt superior and others felt completely unnecessary.

God doesn’t want you to be uninformed either. When you meet Christians who are different in impressive ways (like natural evangelists) and those who are different in frustrating ways (like the never-stops-talking woman at Bible study), you need to be informed. You need to remember that different gifts and different personalities come from God. We are one body in Christ, but we are, by divine design, different parts.

After all, the Father who made you made them. The Son who saved you saved them. The Spirit who guides you guides them. There. Now you’re ready for church. Just make sure to unwrap any potluck tamales.