Friday, Oct. 19

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Romans 12:1-8

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

When I was in 1^st and 2^nd grade my father was the pastor of a small church in Akron, Ohio. I still have several very clear memories from that church and one of them is Mr. Drake. As I recall, Mr. Drake was an older man – probably in his 60’s at the time which seemed extremely ancient to me as a little boy – who was always at the church. He was probably the head usher but seemed like part of the building itself, like the pews or the pulpit, because he was always there. 

I remember that Mr. Drake always seemed to be happy, in the way a favorite uncle or grandpa is always happy, and especially happy to be at church. In particular, I remember Mr. Drake being the one who rang the church bell every Sunday morning. The little church had a steeple with an actual bell that had a rope hanging down into the lobby and at a certain time on Sunday morning Mr. Drake would grab that rope and ring the bell. I remember watching Mr. Drake ring that bell with such enthusiasm and joy that it made me want to ring the bell too! 

I thought about Mr. Drake when I read these words from Romans 12:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Paul is teaching us not just about the different gifts God has given to us, but about how we are to use those gifts! Do you sense the passion and joy that is to accompany the use of God’s gifts?

Let me take the unusual liberty of re-writing a part of this paragraph:

We have different gifts, according the grace given us. If your gift is speaking God’s truth to others, then do it boldly and without fear! If your gift is serving, then give your life away for others as your Lord did for you! If you have the ability to teach others, then study and teach with passion and creativity! If you enjoy encouraging others, then trust that your encouragement can actually allow others to experience God! If you are blessed as you share your resources to help others, then be wildly generous! If God has gifted you to lead, then be courageous and take on the responsibility of leading well. If you are sensitive to the pain of others, then take joy in offering them mercy and compassion. 

Now let me add one more sentence: 

And if all you can do is ring the church bell, then ring it for all you’re worth, because a little boy might be watching and just might see in you the joy of Christ at work!

Thank you, Mr. Drake, for helping me see the gospel through such a simple thing; and may we all learn serve our Lord with such faithful enthusiasm! 

Pastor Brian Coffey