“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).
Christmas. It is the time of gift-giving when God gave us the greatest gift of all—His son, Jesus Christ. Because Jesus willingly gave His life, the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to those who believe in Him. These are gifts that the Lord has chosen for us to help build and edify believers in Jesus Christ. Whatever spiritual gifts God has chosen for each one of us, we exercise each gift for the benefit of believers. When using our spiritual gifts in the way that the Holy Spirit desires, believers are encouraged and receive a passion for sharing the love and grace of Jesus.
Whatever spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon you, allow Him to use them unpretentiously in your life. Don't neglect them. Use them under His divine direction. If they are not exercised humbly in His power, those gifts will remain fruitless in your life. Your brother or sister in Christ will not be edified. In fact, spiritual damage may be the result.
How you use each gift reveals if God's grace has continually transformed and empowered your life. If you surrender each spiritual gift to Him, He will use your life beyond what you believe you are capable of doing. Through each surrendered gift, believers will hunger for more of Him. Prayer will be cherished and rewarding; peace will be the norm; the Word will bring continued revelation, and unstoppable grace will flow to each life in its path.
The Lord has chosen your gifts wisely, but for you to know the gifts that He has chosen, you spend time with Him. You seek Him and not any gift. You do not choose your gifts. He chooses and bestows as He wishes because He knows which are the best for you.
Love Him only and not what He bestows. Don’t be afraid of any gift. Open your heart 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!”
The grace of Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving through you. The Holy Spirit challenges you to believe beyond yourself. Trust Him.
© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/12/spiritual-gifts.html
No comments:
Post a Comment