To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another He gives the gift of special knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else He gives the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11
It’s Christmas, and we’re working with our kids on the importance
of giving. That’s a tall order when
you’re 5 (or 7) and you know there are presents with your name on them! At the heart of the discussion, though, is
the idea that it’s not just a package; someone put some thought into it, went
out and selected it, paid for it, and wrapped it. It was given with love.
Yeah, ask me after tomorrow morning how that went… But we’ve got to try, right?
The spiritual gifts God gave are pretty spectacular. I needed to be reminded; that’s why I wrote
out the verses above. But just like a
kid saying, Give me the present!, the temptation is to be so wowed by the gift
that we forget what it’s all about.
This Christmas, I’m reminded to be impressed by the gift,
but also that its purpose is to make me seek the Giver.
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