Philippine Bible Society

Blessed to Serve

Blessed to Serve
(Reference material: I am Somebody)

We invite you to spread God’s love even more as the month of February continues. For some people, they feel most happy and loved when they receive things. Maybe they look forward to getting greeting cards, sweet treats, and other material items. But as you read through the different sets of Bible verses in this blog post, we hope that you will become more inspired by these gifts that we will be talking about today. We encourage you to use these gifts to serve the Lord and His people.

“ I am somebody blessed with many special gifts to serve God and others. ”

-an excerpt from I am Somebody (PBS-published Selection material)

The gift of encouragement

Brother Philemon, every time I pray, I mention you and give thanks to my God. For I hear of your love for all of God’s people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ. Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God’s people. 

Philemon 1:4-7, Good News Translation (GNT)

The gift of discipline

23 All this I do for the gospel’s sake, in order to share in its blessings. 24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.

-1 Corinthians 9:23-27, Good News Translation (GNT)

The gift of accepting others

14 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but do not argue with them about their personal opinions. Some people’s faith allows them to eat anything, but the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables. The person who will eat anything is not to despise the one who doesn’t; while the one who eats only vegetables is not to pass judgment on the one who will eat anything; for God has accepted that person. Who are you to judge the servants of someone else? It is their own Master who will decide whether they succeed or fail. And they will succeed, because the Lord is able to make them succeed.

-Romans 14:1-4, Good News Translation (GNT)

The gift of forgiving

Now, if anyone has made somebody sad, he has not done it to me but to all of you—in part, at least. (I say this because I do not want to be too hard on him.) It is enough that this person has been punished in this way by most of you. Now, however, you should forgive him and encourage him, in order to keep him from becoming so sad as to give up completely. And so I beg you to let him know that you really do love him. I wrote you that letter because I wanted to find out how well you had stood the test and whether you are always ready to obey my instructions. 10 When you forgive people for what they have done, I forgive them too. For when I forgive—if, indeed, I need to forgive anything—I do it in Christ’s presence because of you, 11 in order to keep Satan from getting the upper hand over us; for we know what his plans are.

-2 Corinthians 2:5-11, Good News Translation (GNT)

The gift of thankfulness

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God. Just as we have a share in Christ’s many sufferings, so also through Christ we share in God’s great help.

-2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Good News Translation (GNT)

The gift of love

Be under obligation to no one—the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever does this has obeyed the Law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not desire what belongs to someone else”—all these, and any others besides, are summed up in the one command, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 10 If you love others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.

-Romans 13:8-10, Good News Translation (GNT)

I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 1:3-6, Good News Translation (GNT)

The source of all gifts

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. 10 The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God’s message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said. 11 But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

 
-1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Good News Translation (GNT)

1 Comment

  • CATHERINE JURILLA March 14, 2019 3:33 pm

    Thank you and God Bless us all.
    This is very powerful in Jesus Name.
    To God Be the Glory.

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