I Corinthians 12:31b

"... I show you a more excellent way."

'Lord, the greatest of gifts from You, as if they could even be measured or compared against one another, mean nothing and pale against the greatest gift of all, Your love. I have not read ahead yet to Chapter 13, but look forward to it as You roll out this more excellent way. And the more excellent way is to pour out what You've poured in, and in so doing remaining confident that the cup will never run dry.

But for now before I leap frog ahead too far, I thank You that You've also poured out such an abundance of gifts to so many within the body of Christ, Your church. Gifts of teaching, prophecy, administration, hospitality, mercy... the list is unending. What would I do without these? I would be incomplete. Help me to appreciate each of them without placing greater of lower value on any of them.

And as for me, I thank You for the gifts You've also distributed under my head. I pray You'd forgive me for desiring gifts that are more prominent for sake of my own glory and ask that to the extent they even exist, that if my motives are impure You'd gently remove them from me so that the fame of Jesus will not be dishonored. Only give me gifts if I'm able to decrease and Jesus is able to increase. This was the desire of the one who paved the way for Jesus' entree into the world of dimension, of time and space. John the Baptist was beheaded for making much of You. He poured his gift out as he decreased and Christ increased.

I give You my gifts today Lord, remembering they're from You, and asking that my giving them away strengthens Your church as I become weak.'