4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Companions,
There are many lessons in our Council Degrees and though some are expounded on through explanations and lectures, others can slip by until we think of the degree as a whole. In the Select Master, the guard Ahishar has a small part, but the lesson of the degree hinges on it. I can just imagine Ahishar mumbling to himself: ‘here I am in the middle of the night guarding a door where no one ever comes, I never get the important jobs, I might just as well sit and rest a while’. It is easy to let this attitude slip up on us Companions. This happens in our Churches, our Workplaces and our Masonic Fraternity. It becomes too easy to sleep in, call in sick or skip a meeting – or just sit and rest awhile. Just because we are not King Solomon does not mean we are unimportant to the whole picture. Scripture tells us that we all have a part in God’s great plan, and we are not just given gifts and duties but entrusted with them to use as God leads and guides us.
Most Holy and Glorious Lord God, the giver of all good gifts and graces; my ardent desire is that I may complete the purpose for which I am made – to glorify Thee who has given me being. Amen.
Jack A. Holloway
I. Associate Grand Chaplain