Welcome to Day 139 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about finding nourishment in the Word of God to get us through the day. In each devotional, I take a variety of scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses each) and build our understanding of what they teach via their context and connecting scripture. My goal is to help you understand how to be the type of human God created you to be.
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 1:4-5. Paul expresses gratitude for the gifts he’s given to us.
| NASB | NLT | VOICE |
| 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, | 4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. | 4 I am continuously thanking my God for you when I think about the grace God has offered you in Jesus the Anointed. |
| 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, | 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way – with all your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. | 5 In this grace, God is enriching every aspect of your lives by gifting you with the right words to say and everything you need to know. |
God provides each of us with gifts through the Holy Spirit. These talents and abilities allow us to do His will in the way He created us to do it. The gifts will look different to each person because God created each of us differently. The collaboration of these gifts with each of us allows us to represent God to the world around us so that each person understands who He is, what He is about, and the importance of having a relationship with Him.
With these gifts, God has enhanced the body of Christ in various ways. Primarily through how we speak, think, and act. We were created to represent his light to the world around us. We must watch what we say and how we say it to those around us. We must not belittle and bully those around us but speak life into them. We must encourage, motivate, care for, love, and fight for them. We must use our knowledge of God’s teaching to bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth, ensuring that all of God’s creations have every right to live the lives that God created them to live.
Use this breath prayer to remember who you are in Christ and let it motivate you to live the life that he created you to live:
BREATHE IN: God is in me.
BREATHE OUT: I am enough.
Until next time, stay blessed!
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