“There are
different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source
of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the
same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who
does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us
so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability
to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of
special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and
to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives
one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to
prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a
message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still
another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,
while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He
alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians
12:4-11, NLT). Spiritual gifts are also mentioned in Romans 12:6-10
and Ephesians 4:11.
You have been given certain spiritual gifts by God. These are
gifts that the Lord has chosen for you to help build and edify
believers in Jesus Christ. Whatever spiritual gifts God has chosen
for you, use each one for the benefit of the body of Christ. When
using your spiritual gifts properly and in the way that the Holy
Spirit desires, believers are encouraged, trained in righteousness,
unified in purpose, and receive a passion to share the Good News
that Jesus Christ brings to a lost world.
Whatever gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon you, allow Him to
use them in your life. Don't neglect them (1 Timothy 4:14a). Only use
them under His divine direction for His purpose. If they are not
exercised in His power and in His anointing they will remain
fruitless. No one will be edified. His purpose will not be served,
and in fact, spiritual damage may be the result. You and I are
absolutely accountable for all He has given to us. What we do with
each gift and how we use each gift reveals if God's desires are
fulfilled or not. If you in
humility surrender each gift to His hand, He will use each gift in
your life to bring about His purpose. Through each gift,
appropriately exercised in His power, lives will change. Believers
will seek Him; prayer will become a way of life; the Word will bring
life to dry bones, and the church will rise to become His instrument
of power for greater service.
Your gifts are just that.... gifts. He has chosen wisely for you.
He knows you intimately, but for you to know and exercise the gifts
that He has chosen for you, you must know Him intimately. You seek
Him, and not the gift. You do not choose your gift. He chooses, and
bestows as He wishes because He knows which gifts are the best for
you. Love Him only. Open your heart to receive, and use what He pours
into you. Don't ever neglect what He has chosen for your greatest
potential. When you have experienced what He can accomplish through
your surrendered life, you yearn to be consumed by all of His power.
You cry out in complete surrender, just as Peter did, “Lord, wash
all of me!”
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