“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”  1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)

CHALLENGE

Be One With Others:  Work as one with people you would not usually work with or find difficult to work with, and have an open heart to do so.

PREPARATION

  • Praise God for who He is
  • Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
  • Allow His Spirit to draw you near
  • Listen as He speaks to you

REQUESTS

  • Pray for those who are difficult to get along with
  • Pray for those who are difficult to work with
  • Pray that we can be willing to serve others
  • Pray that we can work as one body to serve God

THANKSGIVING

  • Thank God for hearing you.
  • Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will.

OPTIONAL READINGS

  • Ephesians 3:6-12

QUOTATION

“The church is the glue that keeps us together when we disagree. It is the gasoline that keeps us going during the tough times. It is the guts that enables us to take risks when we need it .” – Mary Nelson

LIFE STORY

This verse really reminded me of my experience at Camp Kahquah this past summer.  I was a Leader in Training (LIT) and it was the largest group they have ever had.  With the group containing 4 male and 8 female teenagers, it was obvious that there was going to be some conflict.  Our LIT leader noticed that this was happening and reminded us the reason we were at camp was to help the kids get closer to God and not to only worry about ourselves. The verse our LIT leader used was 1 Corinthians 12:14-27.

This really got me thinking about how we should put others before ourselves. If Christ died for us, why can we not get along with people we don’t like or just don’t want to try with? We are all one body together with Christ and should be working together rather than trying to do our own thing.

This has really impacted my spiritual life because I am now more willing to serve others and not just worry about myself. I have also noticed this so much around lately – how people are so willing to help others. Just the willingness to help others with areas they struggle with or just need help with is great for me to see.

Contributed by:  Matt Reist