March 13th

Driving in the HOV Lane

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant...But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all...But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:1,7,11

Have you ever met someone who was gifted? This kind of person simply excels at a certain thing, having natural ability that goes beyond most other people's natural abilities in that area.

I want you all to be gifted, but with more than just your natural abilities. I want you to be gifted to do things that are impossible without the Holy Spirit.

This gifting of the Holy Spirit begins with an inner work before it goes to the outward signs. It begins with the role of the Holy Spirit as the One who convicts us of sins and opens our understanding of the scriptures, of all that Jesus taught. He works to internalize the realities of God's Word so that our lives-our actions, character, and motivations-begin to look like Christ. In this way the Holy Spirit glorifies God.

But the Holy Spirit does give other gifts, and we can see lists of them in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, among other places. All of these gifts are subject to the guidance and boundaries of scripture. Anyone who starts claiming that their gift of the Spirit somehow equals or supersedes the authority of scripture is not worthy of our trust. That is how cults get started.

The gifts never trump scripture. Never. I'm clear on that, right? However, the gifts are real. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers that empower them to do supernatural things they couldn't do on their own.

How does that work in your life? It works by faith. The Holy Spirit's role is to do the inner working of making you like Christ, and He gives you gifts that you use by faith. Why by faith? Because it takes faith to do something that you couldn't have done if the Holy Spirit didn't help you to do it!

What are the gifts for? As our verses for today tell us, they are for the benefit of all. So why should we pay attention to them in our lives? Because they benefit people and glorify God. Let's ask God together for the faith to use the gifts He has given us so that we can benefit all and glorify God.

Prayer Holy Spirit,

Thank You for Your gifts! Please help me to have the faith and character I need to use the gifts You have given me. I want to bless others with what You have given me.

Amen