Responsibilities

 

Responsibilities

1 Corinthians 12: ⁸ The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. ⁹ One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. ¹⁰ The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God's message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said. ¹¹ But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

 

============

 

Sitting in the room, I watched everyone else get responsibilities handed to them. I waited my turn and noticed the person handing out the responsibilities had stopped and I did not get one. “What’s wrong with me?” I thought to myself.

 

• I wanted to be part of the group.
• I wanted to fit in.
• I wanted to participate and contribute my portion.

 

Paul continues to explain spiritual gifts. He states that the HOLY SPIRIT gives each person a “different gift” as HE wishes. This gift is special and unique and to be used to glorify GOD in some way.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to praise HIM in my own unique way.
• GOD wants me to share HIS love in my own unique way.
• GOD wants me to serve HIS people in my own unique way.

 

Being jealous of what other people can do is not pretty. I mean, when I see what someone else can do and I feel less than that person, I may be overlooking my own special gift GOD has excitedly given me. HE carefully gave me a gift that no one else has. HE has done the same for each and every person. I cannot downplay someone else’s gift because it is special to GOD.

 

Getting back to the story above where everyone else got responsibilities and I didn’t. The person came back to me later and apologized for overlooking me. “I had too much on my mind” was the apology and I was given more responsibility than I had imagined.  I am glad the HOLY SPIRIT sees everyone and gives me gifts that make our relationship special.

 

Challenge

• Do you think the list of spiritual gifs listed here is complete?
• What do you think your spiritual gifts are?
• What do you notice about gifts that “do not” come from the HOLY SPIRIT?
• How will you use your GOD given spiritual gift today?