Romans 12 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as G_d has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we are many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Messiah and individual members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:” Romans 12: 3-6a

Years ago, I was in Israel, leading music on a tour during their Independence Day. As the lot fell, my wife and I were given a room in one of the nicest hotel in Israel! Alongside Israel’s anniversary, there was a global summit of world leaders who were in town to discuss Mid East peace. Many of these leaders were staying in our hotel! The United States president at the time, George Bush, was staying down the street. If you ever want to hear an Arab yell, ask him what he thinks about George Bush!!

When the American president decides to go somewhere…regardless of the country he is visiting…it is a big-BIG deal. Streets are blocked-off, extra security appears as if by magic, and pretty much everyone is inconvenienced. I was detained at length, at a rather inconvenient roadblock, when the president’s motorcade drove by. Funny, I waved and the President actually waved back!! The guy standing next to me said, in his thick Israeli accent, “Who does he think that he is?” That fellow’s question is exactly the point of today’s passage: Who are WE (as individual believers), anyway? And, how do we fit-in with the larger community of believers?

Paul speaks of 2 things that G_d “grants” all believers. He gives us each a measure of Faith, and an allotment of Grace.

I am not convinced, Biblically, that God actually gives you Faith, like an automatic download. Rather, I believe God reveals His Way by the power of His Spirit, then He gives us an opportunities to act on that “revelation”, faithfully. That whole system, whereby G_d interacts with His creation, in such a way as to see their faithfulness grow, is itself a gift, His Grace towards us. It has been said that faith is a “muscle”. It grows when we work it out, and it shrinks when we forsake it. And if you want your faith to grow, start being diligent with small things. When He faithfully responds to YOUR faith response to His call, you are encouraged and your faith increases.

God’s “grace” is not just about our eternal salvation. Sure, we are saved by grace, through faith alone, but God also calls us to be His hands & feet in the world. Where God guides, He provides, so He “Graces” all believers with the spiritual tools needed to complete His objectives. Those God-gifted spiritual tools are not for our glory, but God’s.

In neither of these scenarios is any boasting appropriate. All that we have, we owe to the Lord. Therefore, while some of us may have more high-profile or lucrative jobs, by God’s grace, we are all equal in God’s eyes. We wouldn’t have anything, were it not for the Lord.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Monday, August 26, 2013