today i pray for our two pastors, rein and jimmy.  for their respective healths and their family overall.

love and prophecy -

i find it interesting that there are a bunch of verses in the word about finding spiritual gifts.  from the gift of prophesy to the gift of tongues - but all of it seems foreign to me.  i'll admit - when i'm in service where someone is speaking tongues, i'm a bit weirded out by it.  i'm not sure why - but i don't want that gift.  but i sometimes wonder if perhaps i'm not as spiritually attuned - or if it means anything that i lack this gift.

but this verse is a good one - because it alludes to the fact that a spiritual gift that helps and encourages others is one to be desireable.  in that - we all have gifts in a way - because we have many ways to help and encourage others.

today's qt.

first of all - the word is awesome. 

today went along with what i read yesterday - that there are weaker.  but this highlighted something else.  where it's really easy to feel like someone is 'more special' than others - or more spiritual.  i think i hate that - the idea that someone is on a different 'level' - because this passage to me clearly shows that we're all on the same level in ways because we're all the same body. 

it doesn't matter if you're a deacon, elder, or praise leader - it means nothing.  you're as strong as the 'weakest' person in church - you're as strong as the ones that are struggling - you are strong as the ones who are suffering.  as you go deeper and more down on the list - pause a little and see where that's headed.  there's only one that suffered the most in your church - there's only one that went through it all. 

and if the message serves us right - we have no choice but to realize - that's the greatest victory of them all.