Edifying Gifts

Paul tells us to desire gifts that will edify the church, and he also says that we should follow the way of love, God's love. Putting these together, Paul says that we should desire to edify the church out of the love we have for our brothers and sisters--this love should be rooted in the love we have received from God: selfless love. So when we use our God-given gifts and talents, we should use them not for our own gain.

It's so easy to serve the church with selfish motives. When we seek to edify, how often are we actually thinking of the church rather than ourselves? This is a challenge and an area of sin that I am constantly struggling with. I fall into pride so many times when I serve because it's so easy for my initial desire to serve the church to turn into a means of showing off my capabilities. Edifying the church quickly gets lost in the picture, and glorifying God quickly turns into glorifying myself. I want to pray for humility this week as I try to reevaluate my heart in serving God and those around me.