I am grateful, Father, for Your many blessings! May our time together be fruitful!
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (<<click here to read the passage)
As I sit to write, I decided to see what, if anything, I have written regarding the topic of “spiritual gifts” found in these verses. I came across four posts of substance on the subject.
1. No Girls Allowed! – which looks at spiritual gifts as they relate to the ministry of women in the church
2. Think Outside the Walls – which addresses the idea that spiritual gifts can be used to impact more than just those in the church
3. Integral Parts of the Whole – includes recourses for discovering the gifts you may have and might even realize!
And then yesterday,
4. Are We on the Same Page? – which addresses the equality and unity found in the Church of Christ, i.e., the body of Christ
Here is today’s passage from the Amplified Bible.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; and to another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.
There are so many wonderful things to be found in surrendering our lives to Jesus. But if we are looking for a “catch,” there it is. If we insist on being in charge of our lives, nothing will truly be as it should be. Surrender is just that…surrender.
We have it in our heads that surrender is bad, and from a worldly standpoint, it certainly can be. But we are not talking of the world. We are talking about God, His Kingdom, and our part in it.
Every one of us was created by our awesome Creator God. We were made for a reason, and the only way to fully become what we were made to be is to yield ourselves to Him – He who knows us best and loves us most.
It has crossed my mind many times, and honestly, I am still striving for it; what would my life be like if I did, on every front, totally yield my life to Him? It can be done, but for many of us, it is a process. I don’t know about you, but I’m not giving up!
Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours! 1 Corinthians 9:24b AMP
