2 Chronicles 7-9, 1 Corinthians 12: 1-26, Psalm 119: 81-88
1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 (ESV)
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of
activities, bu.t it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each
is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Verses 4 through 7 from 1 Corinthians 12 are probably one of
Paul’s most talked about verses. Paul tells the Church of Corinth that everyone
has gifts from the Holy Spirit, but we don’t all have the same gifts. Everyone
has different gifts, and they all come from God, and are manifestations of the
Holy Spirit. God has a plan for each of us and has given us gifts so we can
carry out his plans. I know for myself that I find myself often envious of
people who can sing or play an instrument well. I can sing, but I’m not a great
singer. I learned to play a few instruments as a child, but not enough where I
could entertain people with my playing. From what I can tell and what people
have told me all my life is I’m smart and my writing is good. I never
considered my smarts as a gift from God, because I’ve always been smart even as
a child. It seemed to just be the way I was born, although it didn’t seem to
manifest until the third grade. I was told when I was in 4th grade
that I had the reading level of an 18-year-old. In elementary school, poems or
stories that I wrote were submitted by my teachers to our local paper. But
these talents weren’t celebrated by my friends, so I didn’t consider them
gifts. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized my smarts and writing
skills were gifts from God, only because I became very aware that other people couldn’t
do what was very easy and natural for me.
I think if you are a person of faith, you owe it God to find
out what your gifts are and celebrate them. God has use for all of us. We are like
puzzle pieces in God’s plan, and I think it’s our duty as people of faith to
celebrate our gifts so we can find out how we can best serve God.
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