1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Be Still: Father, thank you for your breath in my lungs. I praise you today. Holy Spirit breathe your life in me as I read your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (v 7)
Encounter: This passage is clear that all the gifts of the Spirit come from the Holy Spirit. No-one in the Church can therefore boast about his or her spiritual gifts. The Spirit gives different gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. What is so striking about verse 7 is that not only are these gifts not from us in the first place, but they are not for us either. Each 'manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.'
I remember getting prayed for at the front of my local church at the end of an evening service and being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was a teenager at the time and so intense was the experience of his love and power I was creased over with my head in my hands, trying to figure out what all this meant for me. I will never forget the person praying for me saying, 'It’s OK that this is intense, but remember this isn’t for you. You are being anointed for the world.' I was only young, but he helped me to see that God’s Spirit was being poured out into my life not just to fill me, but to flow through me.
Apply: In verses 8-10 Paul lists some of the gifts given by the Spirit, for the building up of the Church. Where have you forgotten or even laid aside a gift that has been given to you for the common good? Don’t get caught in comparison ('Why don’t I have that person’s gift?') They all come from the same Spirit. Rather, remember these gifts are given for others. We share in each other's gifts.
Maybe you’re not sure if you have a spiritual gift at all. If you’d like to, even right now, put your hands out in front of you and ask Him to fill you by his Spirit and to give you one. It’s a gift after all. But don't forget, in his sovereign will, it’s not a gift just for you -- it’s for building up his Church.
Devote: Holy Spirit thank you for the different gifts you distribute as you choose. Fill me now and help me to step out in the gifts you have given me for the building up of others. In Jesus’ name.