Before you get started today, I’d like you to take a moment to click and read I Corinthians 12 (Amp).
I love that Paul starts out by telling us that he doesn’t
want us to be confused about things, and he makes sure we understand that the
gifts he is talking about are given to us by the Holy Spirit. It is His call
and His call alone.
There are many gifts the Holy Spirits gives to equip the
Body of Christ—administration, Apostleship, discernment, evangelism,
exhortation, faith, giving, healing, interruption of tongues, knowledge,
leadership, mercy, miracles, Pastor/Shepherd, prophecy, serving (helps),
teaching tongues and wisdom—just to name a few.
See Romans 12:6-8 & Ephesians 4:7-12
As humans we get all excited when talking about our gifts
and like to show off. Well, we do! We totally forget what Paul tells us. We
forget that it is by the Holy Spirits discretion we have any gifts at all, and
that they are to edify God and be used to build up His Kingdom on earth.
At this point some of you may be disagreeing with me, but
look at the fact that people use the gifts of the Spirit to put titles on
themselves as if their gift is better or they are more important than others. I
see it all the time and even more so on Facebook. Evangelist, So and So,
Prophetess, So and So and Teacher, So and So! Oh yeah—some of us think we got
it going on like that.
And then there is the other group of us who make sure others
know what gifts we operate in—by bragging on them, in a not so subtle way. And worst of all, we see ourselves in
competition with one another and envious of each other’s gifts. This only shows
our great lack of maturity and understanding of who we are in Christ and
exactly why we were given gifts.
Let’s change course for a minute and look at the “Fruits” of
the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy
(gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness
(benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control
(self-restraint, continence). Galatians
5:22-23 (Amp)
Matthew tells us that a tree is known by its fruit. And we
all know that a tree has to go through changes and needs care to produce fruit.
Remember when your parents basically took care of your needs
and you took many things for granted, because you really didn’t have to do much
for them. It was a given most of us ate every day, had clothing and electricity
and television. But it was a totally different ballgame when we came of age and
had to work in order to eat, have clothes, electricity and television. There
was a greater appreciation for what we had, because we knew there was some type
of struggle attached to being able to pay for these things.
Same goes for the “Gifts” of the Holy Spirit versus the
“Fruits” of the Holy Spirit. One is
given to you without having to work for it, the other we must work on producing
and developing the good fruit in our lives.
Let’s take a moment to look at the fruit of “Love”. In truth
most of us don’t really desire to be a “lover”
of people, because it requires too much of us.
4 Love endures long and
is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy,
is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5 It is not conceited (arrogant
and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act
unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or
its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or
fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it
pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6 It does not rejoice at
injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth
prevail.
7 Love bears up under anything and
everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its
hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without
weakening].
8 Love never fails [never fades
out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].” I Corinthians 13:4-8a (Amp)
No, if the Holy Spirit wanted to give us the
title of “Sister So and So, Lover of People” many of us would run and hid. Why?
Because we are still struggling to love ourselves and we would have to work
through our own “self-love” issues—and some of us are still hiding from that.
Loving like God takes work. But here is the
real kicker to it all…
…. 1If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of
angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such
as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic
powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand
all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I
have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love
(God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). 3 Even if I dole out all that I
have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or
in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain
nothing. I Corinthians 13:1-3 (Amp)
See sisters, all the gifts we want to show off
and parade in front of others can in the long run add up to NOTHING, if there
is no love attached!
And when we walk in the love of God, we don’t
need made up titles, because—love is not haughty or boastful. We don’t have a
“my gifts are better than yours” type of attitude because love is not envious
or in competition.
There is no getting away from it—we must put in
the time and effort to work on our love walk! Because in it we will find all
that we need. We will see change in our relationships with our spouses,
children, bosses, coworkers, sibs, friends, neighbors, and church members. Even
with ourselves. I’m not saying anyone will change other than you—but since love
never fails—we can’t lose.
The love walk truly is a biggie and something
we will always need to work on because it has so many layers. But if you are
one who others can make feel bad about yourself and or question your gifts and relationship
with God, then you have some work to do. And if you are one who thinks your
gifts or status in the Kingdom is better than some of your other sisters—then
you really have some work to do!
Jesus asks, “How is it we are content to seek
and receive praise and honor and glory from one another, and yet do not seek
the praise and honor and glory which come from Him Who alone is God?” [my paraphrase]
John
5:44 (Amp) Now that’s something for
us to really think about.
Yup! It’s Bible time!! Time to get into the
Word and study, study, study!
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