Sunday, February 10, 2013 - 12:05 am

I read 1 Corinthians 12-14 today and found a lot to be said about love, unity encompassing diversity, and using our gifts to bless others, all of which are essential in a Christian community. I think the main idea, which agrees with what I've seen elsewhere in the Bible, is that we don't live for ourselves alone. We all have different spiritual gifts, given to us by God's Spirit, that are essential for the community as a whole. The fact that none of us have all of them should be a clue that we're intended to be interdependent. That means it's okay for me to need others, and it's okay for them to need me. One thing I'm learning with time is that I can't assume that others will know what my needs are. As a different part of the body, my needs and assumptions may be foreign to them, but that doesn't mean they don't care, it just means taking the time to communicate well, and that's important in any relationship, isn't it? I need to be the one to communicate what I need to get across, and be paying attention to others' needs as well. My gifts may fit their needs, and their gifts might fit mine. The goal, of course, in all of this is love. Whatever I do, if it's not done in love it has no eternal value. Too many times I've seen examples of people who want to see things change from how they've been done in the church, and they often have some good ideas but you'd be hard pressed to read an attitude of love into their words. If I want to see positive change, I've got to show love, and respect, and be willing to be a part of that change even before those who I may think need to change the most. Ephesians 4:1-16 is another great passage that looks at Christian unity. The key, I think, is found within verse 15, "speaking the truth in love".