From -- Kaleb the "Bible Dude"
That’s a wrap on week 10, and wow was it a quick one! We had so much good going on this week it was so incredible. These past couple weeks and what we learned really stuck with the campers and coaches. We were able to have the group say past verses and what they meant and relate them to what we learned this week.
“Use your gifts to serve others and to glorify God” 1 Peter 4:10
We started off by talking about this idea of talents vs skills. Where talents are something we just naturally have or are born with compared to skills which is something that we had to learn in order to do. Either way we then are left with that ability, whether they are sports, the ability to comfort, to listen, to give advice, to provide financial support, or even to create art. There are so many abilities that we have and can use. And when we have them we have the choice of using them just for ourselves or for others. And here at RSA we have realized that the kids love making these bracelets out of bands and beads, and how much they love making them for others. It is the perfect example! Where they are able to use their abilities to serve others. The next realization was, when giving someone something they say “thank you” usually. It isn’t prideful to say you’re welcome but, in those moments after, we as Christians can thank God for those abilities. However we shouldn’t boast for doing good, like the verse from week 6 “For everyone who praises himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be praised” Luke 14:11 And us using those abilities to serve others is living like Jesus and showing love to others.
Speaking of Jesus, He used His powers for others. There are numerous accounts through the Gospels where Jesus heals the lame, blind, mute, deaf, leaprous, and so on(Mark 1:32-34). He didn’t keep his gifts to Himself. Paul even wrote, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” 1 Corinthians 12:7. I am not saying that “Bracelet making” is a spiritual gift, but if God gives us His power to serve others, then we should use all of our abilities to serve others. Like last week said, “We must not become tired of doing good” Galatians 6:9.
We also watched a video about “Serving Others” where the character talks about sometimes we have an ability and responsibility that we may NOT want to have. And how we should still use that for others, and see God’s good that can be done through it. And how us as “Leaders” aren’t to be served but to serve. I mean Jesus is King of Kings, Lord of Lords (It is literally a tattoo I have written on my arm) and He sacrificed Himself for us. So that our payment for sin would be forgiven and we could be in relationship with the Father again. He was not looking to be served but served not just his disciples by washing their feets(John 13:1-17), or healing people(Matthew 8:5-13), but by dying on the cross for us.
And sometimes not all of us have the abilities that other people do. Like I can’t do a standing back flip, or even hold a handstand. And we demonstrated this by having a relay race with some of the campers, where one had to dive through a cutout, another jump over it all, another do a front flip off the trampoline, and the last a back layout. And they had to do all of them before another camper climbed to the top of the rope. Now not each camper could complete all tasks but as they worked together and found out who could do what, they were able to work together to complete the same goal and win together. And this goes along with Pauls writing to the Corinthians…
The Body of Christ
A person’s body is one thing, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts to a body, but all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that too. Some of us are Jews, and some of us are Greeks. Some of us are slaves, and some of us are free. But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit. And we were all made to share in the one Spirit.
And a person’s body has more than one part. It has many parts. The foot might say, “I am not a hand. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. The ear might say, “I am not an eye. So I am not part of the body.” But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, the body would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, the body would not be able to smell anything. If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one of them. And so there are many parts, but only one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!” No! Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are really very important. And the parts of the body that we think are not worth much are the parts that we give the most care to. And we give special care to the parts of the body that we want to hide. The more beautiful parts of our body need no special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it. God did this so that our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. If one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, then all the other parts share its honor.
All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
So needless to say, we all have different skills and talents, some are abilities we have always had, others took a long time to learn, but either way, we should use them to serve others and love others, and do so to glorify God. We have been given the best gift ever as Christians, and that is salvation, and forgiveness, and love from God and through the life of Jesus. And in fact it is such a great gift it is meant to be shared. It is the “good news” it is the Gospel, and we should share it with everyone! And we give glory to God by telling people about it! And that story can be long or short, but it's as we learned in week 1…
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
We are super excited for next week, and school to start! Week 11 will be great!