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The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Who gave you the best birthday gift ever?
Well, one of my most memorable gifts was given to me by my whole family. They scraped together enough money to buy me a brand-new Mac Book PRO right after mine was stolen out of my car. I can still remember the mixed bag of overwhelming emotions hitting me that morning as I received the phone call from my mother telling me about this gift. I was so humbled by their generosity in my hour of need.
Gifts are precious and powerful. In Ephesians 4 Paul tells us the purpose of the gifts we receive from God is to build up the church and do the work of God.
Eph. 4:17 NLT Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul points out that there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit:
1 Cor. 12:4 NLT There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
Probably the most important thing to understand about gifts is that they point to the Giver and not the gifted. You know like my Mac Book PRO points to the generosity and love I have received from my family it makes them look great because they are. If I abuse their gift to point to me and go on about how having a Mac Book PRO in some way makes me better than others it just leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths. In the same way, the gifts of the Holy Spirit should point to the majestic power and goodness of God. It should highlight the wonder of His love and never point to us.
Matt. 5:16 NLT In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
So, use the gifts God has given you in your workplace, among your friends, in the church and point everyone to the goodness of God.
Prayer:
Read through 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 to see a list of gifts mentioned. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in how to use the gifts given to you, inside and outside of the Church. Use your gifts and point to Jesus.
About this Plan
In the person of Jesus, God calls all people not to simply know about Him, but to follow Him with all that we are. Following Jesus daily is more like a habit than it is a moment. Habits are things we do often and regularly, without consciously thinking we have to do them. This 40-day plan will explore life-giving habits to establish us in the new life that Jesus gives.
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