Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord.
 6 And there are different activities, but the same God
      activates each gift in each person.

 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: 

 8. to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of             knowledge by the same Spirit,

9  to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10  to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages.
11 But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.

Years ago I heard a Sunday school teacher talk about Spiritual gifts. I did not have a clue what the woman was talking about. Later I asked her. Don’t ask these things if you aren’t willing to hear the answer. I sat patiently trying to absorb the meanings of words that were foreign and irrelevant to me. Distinguishing between spirits? In the neighborhood I grew up in, I figured it must mean whether they bought Jack Daniels or Kentucky Gentlemen. No, seriously . . . I had no reference for “holy matters”.

The class teacher gave me a “Spiritual Gifts” test. I’m ashamed to say this, but I was truly bummed out about that test. Reading Corinthians, I hoped for something huge and magnificent, like performing miracles or healing. Dummy me thought as soon as that test was over I’d miraculously receive a dart from heaven. Wham! Gift applied!

As it turned out, the teacher sat down with me and explained the Holy Spirit had blessed me with the gift of hospitality. HOSPITALITY! You gotta be joking!!!! It was all I could do to contain my rotten self.

It took me years to understand the enormous gift I possess. And, I must admit, the Holy Spirit got me dead-on. I love doing for others, from fixing meals to being a caretaker.

In Cries of Innocence, there is a lot of talk about Spiritual gifts.

Romans 12:6-8  “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

I hope you will embrace your Spiritual gifts. And I hope you enjoy reading about the characters in the book who struggle with their gifts, some not understanding, some fully embracing them.

God be with you always!