For thought and meditation

[rl69]

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.—1 Corinthians 12:4–5 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=748d2dcd94&e=3dd732485b)Scripture teaches that when we are baptized in the Spirit, we receive gifts of the Spirit.
Romans 12:6–8 says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" (NIV).

Note that it says, "We have different gifts." Each is important, each worth using.
Who are we to be upset with God if He did not give us the gifts we want? They are not given by merit but "according to the grace given us." We are to take what He has placed in our life and seek to multiply it.

2 Timothy 1:6 says, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (NKJV). To "stir up" means to "fan into full flame." To fail to do this is to "quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19 (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/x-apple-data-detectors://8)). That speaks of extinguishing something, and it is a specific sin against the Holy Spirit.

What right do we have to squander or not use a precious gift God has given to us?
You might say, "But I don't know what my gifts are!" Sometimes the best way to find out is through the process of elimination. You can learn through failure. But it usually starts with some kind of burden God will give you.

When I was a young Christian, I started sharing the gospel. I went to see Billy Graham preach in San Diego. I thought, "That's what I want to be when I grow up!" Little did I ever think I would preach in a stadium, much less meet Billy Graham. God may have given you a dream, a vision, an idea in germ form.




So maybe you see lost people and want to reach them. You may have the gift of the evangelist.

Perhaps you see needs everywhere and want to help. You may have the gift of giving!

You are a "detail person," loving to work behind the scenes. You may have the gift of helps.

You love to see people learn and grow spiritually. You may have the gift of teaching.

You love to encourage people to reach their potential. Perhaps you have the gift of exhortation.

You like to take people into your home, and feed and bless them. You might have the gift of hospitality.


The gifts of the Spirit are not toys to play with. They are tools to build with and weapons to fight with.

We all have a vital part to play in the church. Have you discovered your gifts and are you using them?

[Boaz]

Great lesson . He has given all of us gifts and talents to do our work . Thanks rl69 !

[Pine Baron]

Thank you,rl. I have nothing, except that which is given by God, which is everything.

[Preacher Jim]

I ĺove the though as he sees fit for what He wants for us. Not my will but thine O Lord.
Amen

[Blackwater]

What a great post, RL. Thanks.

It reminds me of a friend's father, "Mr. Buddy," as he liked to be called. He was a pretty well to do guy, but a devout Christian, and never one to think of himself as "above" or better than anyone else. My friend went with him to a ball game one night, and every "bum and wino" they passed called out his name, smiled real big and hailed him happily, and he always returned, calling each one of them by name. Once they were inside the gate, the son turned to his Dad and asked him, "How is it that every bum and wino we passed knows your name, and you know theirs?" He found this quite puzzling. His Dad, without breaking stride, just said, "Oh, those are just some of my friends from the soup kitchen." And that's exactly how he looked at them, too. They were really his friends, just ones who hadn't been as well blessed as he had in life, but he never separated himself out from them. He saw them as all being the same - just mortals in search of Truth and goodness. And he'd found it, and simply wanted to share it with these people.

I've long seen judgmentalism, in all its often veiled forms, as one of, if not THE greatest stumbling blocks that we as Christians face in life. With our typical attitude, we tend to think, "Well, they deserve what they've got because they haven't done any better than they have, and they've made so many mistakes!" If there's an attitude that stunts our growth in our faith, this HAS to be one of the biggest. It may "make sense" to us, but it's NOT God's will that they be the way they are. It may well be due to their own willfulness and mistakes, but not in all cases, and if you've ever seen anyone who's really down and out really try to do better, you'll realize just how truly difficult it is for them to climb the ladder back to "respectability." And few make it, and I think a large part of the reason for that is simply the attitude of many professing Christians who typically tend to put them down because of their present condition, never believing or even thinking they might possibly do better if given a chance. Many have mental problems and addictions to alcohol and/or drugs, and this holds them down pretty securely usually, but even that can be dealt with.

And when one of them actually redeems themselves, so many look down on them for having fallen in the first place, that they get little to no credit for having done the monumental job of clearing themselves of any problems and shortcomings they may have once had, and the media surely doesn't cover it. So we just assume "God put them there in His righteous judgment, because they're beneath what we've become.' What an attitude for a professing Christian!!! Christ said we're all sinners, and not one of us CAN deserve anything but the Judgment. It's through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of His blood that has redeemed each and every one of us, and it's only by His Grace that any of us is saved.

We'd all do well to remember that, especially when dealing with the down and outers. "There but for the Grace of God go I" is a MUCH more fitting view for any professing Christian. Yeah, we have to be careful of diseases they may have, or any harm they may do it, so there's never an excuse for being stupid, but there's ALSO no excuse for letting our fears control us so completely that we use them to excuse our not lending a helping hand when and as we're able to do so.

Mr. Buddy will always be one of my great "models" for what a good Christian is supposed to be like. Humble, even among the "lowest and foulest" among us, and always loving and caring to everyone he encountered who was at all open to aid or the Word of God. And when he offered them the Word, he always did so very humbly, as if sharing his own wealth with them, and not in any sort of judgmental way, as most of them are so terribly used to getting from "Christians." He passed from this world not long ago, but he'll always shine in my life as a beaming example of how real Christians ought to be - sincerely loving and caring, always willing to share a meal or a little money with the down and out, and always doing so very respectfully and in an honestly loving way. He just loved their granting him an opportunity to share with him what God had so richly blessed him with. What greater example of True Christianity could a man ask for in this life today? I am sure when he reached Heaven, the first words he heard were, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Would it that we might all hear those words when it's our turn.