1 Corinthians 12:1-31
It seems amazing to me that in addition to the salvation we receive in Jesus Christ, we also are blessed with spiritual gifts. God is in the process of forming a body of believers that He equips for the purpose of growth and edification on the part of the body. He gives us gifts so that the body might be perfected and become more effective at bringing glory to Him.
THE SPIRIT GIVES A VARIETY OF GIFTS: There are many different components that go into the formation of the various parts of our physical body. In the same way there is a variety of gifts that go into making up the body of Christ. Believers are unique in their giftedness. Paul says that the Spirit gives to "each one" according to His desire. I believe that indicates that we as believers have a combination of many different gifts that form our individual gift. All of us probably have at least a little bit of most of the gifts yet we are stronger in certain areas. The different proportions of our gifts is what make up our unique gift. Just like the hand and the foot are made up of basically the same materials only in different proportions. The point is that there are a wide variety of gifts. None of us are exactly like the other.
WE SHOULD NOT COMPARE OUR GIFTS: As humans, we have an inborn tendency to want to compete and compare. Unfortunately, that tendency often spreads to the area of spiritual gifts. Many time we look at the impressive public gifts that some people have and we begin to devalue our own gifts. This attitude can easily be confused with humility, but, in reality, it is a form of pride. We become sad or demotivated because we want to be prominent like someone else. This does not please God. In much the same way, many believers will look down on those who have less evident gifts in public and consider them to be less important. This is obviously arrogance and is a frequently used weapon that Satan uses to tempt spiritual leaders to fall. God wants us to appreciate and use the gifts He has given us while at same time, He desires that we appreciate others and glorify Him for the gifts that He has given to others.
WE SHOULD BE CONNECTED BY OUR GIFTS: It is God's desire and purpose that we use our gifts in conjunction with one another. We should never come into a ministry situation with the attitude that the rest of the body in that place will just have to adapt to our gift. Too often people identify their gift and refuse to operate outside of the realm of what they think their gift is. A hand has to perform a wide variety of functions at different times in order for the body to function properly. Some of those tasks might be more enjoyable to the hand than other tasks. However, the hand does not function for its own good, it functions for the good of the entire body. We must realize that we are all connected to one another and use our gifts in cooperation with one another for the good of the whole. We made need to adapt our gift to the needs of a certain place at a certain time in order to minister in conjunction with the entire body that is present in that place. I believe that our gifts flexible in their application depending on the need in the ministry where we are serving. This will bring glory to the Father and growth to the body as well as great joy to each of us.
THE SPIRIT GIVES A VARIETY OF GIFTS: There are many different components that go into the formation of the various parts of our physical body. In the same way there is a variety of gifts that go into making up the body of Christ. Believers are unique in their giftedness. Paul says that the Spirit gives to "each one" according to His desire. I believe that indicates that we as believers have a combination of many different gifts that form our individual gift. All of us probably have at least a little bit of most of the gifts yet we are stronger in certain areas. The different proportions of our gifts is what make up our unique gift. Just like the hand and the foot are made up of basically the same materials only in different proportions. The point is that there are a wide variety of gifts. None of us are exactly like the other.
WE SHOULD NOT COMPARE OUR GIFTS: As humans, we have an inborn tendency to want to compete and compare. Unfortunately, that tendency often spreads to the area of spiritual gifts. Many time we look at the impressive public gifts that some people have and we begin to devalue our own gifts. This attitude can easily be confused with humility, but, in reality, it is a form of pride. We become sad or demotivated because we want to be prominent like someone else. This does not please God. In much the same way, many believers will look down on those who have less evident gifts in public and consider them to be less important. This is obviously arrogance and is a frequently used weapon that Satan uses to tempt spiritual leaders to fall. God wants us to appreciate and use the gifts He has given us while at same time, He desires that we appreciate others and glorify Him for the gifts that He has given to others.
WE SHOULD BE CONNECTED BY OUR GIFTS: It is God's desire and purpose that we use our gifts in conjunction with one another. We should never come into a ministry situation with the attitude that the rest of the body in that place will just have to adapt to our gift. Too often people identify their gift and refuse to operate outside of the realm of what they think their gift is. A hand has to perform a wide variety of functions at different times in order for the body to function properly. Some of those tasks might be more enjoyable to the hand than other tasks. However, the hand does not function for its own good, it functions for the good of the entire body. We must realize that we are all connected to one another and use our gifts in cooperation with one another for the good of the whole. We made need to adapt our gift to the needs of a certain place at a certain time in order to minister in conjunction with the entire body that is present in that place. I believe that our gifts flexible in their application depending on the need in the ministry where we are serving. This will bring glory to the Father and growth to the body as well as great joy to each of us.
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