1 Corinthians 12:7 - Spiritual Gifts Are For Service.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (CEV) The Spirit has
given each of us a special way of serving others.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT) A spiritual gift is
given to each of us so we can help each other.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Call it what you wish. A talenta skill
seta gift. The terms are different, but the truth
is the same. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7,
The Spirit has given each of us a special way of
serving others.
You arent the only person with your
skill. But you are the only person with your
version of your skill. You entered the world
uniquely equipped. Psalm 139:13-15 describes it as
knit together, woven together in the dark of the
womb, intricately and curiously wrought.
Each of us! Not some of us, a few of us,
or the elite among us. Each of us has a beauty
that longs to be revealed and released. It is you
at your best! When you stand at the
intersection of your skill and Gods call, you are
standing at the corner of Promised Land Avenue and
Glory Days Boulevard. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional
at maxlucado.com]
COMMENTARY
Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa. Beethoven
composed one Fifth Symphony. And God made one version
of you. He custom designed you for a
one-of-a-kind assignment. Mine like a gold digger the
unique-to-you nuggets from your life.
When I was six years old, my father built
us a house. Architectural Digest didnt
notice, but my mom sure did. Dad constructed it,
board by board, every day after work. My youth
didnt deter him from giving me a job. He tied an
empty nail apron around my waist, placed a magnet
in my hands, and sent me on daily patrols
around the building site, carrying my magnet only
inches off the ground.
One look at my tools and you could guess
my job. Stray-nail collector.
One look at yours and the same can be
said. Brick by brick, life by life, God is
creating a kingdom, a spiritual house (1 Pet.
2:5 CEV). He entrusted you with a key task in
the project. Examine your tools and discover it.
Your ability unveils your destiny. If anyone
ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God
supplies, that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 4:11). When God
gives an assignment, he also gives the skill.
Study your skills, then, to reveal your
assignment.
Look at you. Your uncanny ease with
numbers. Your quenchless curiosity about chemistry.
Others stare at blueprints and yawn; you read them
and drool. I was made to do this, you
say.
Heed that inner music. No one else hears
it the way you do.
What about you? Our Maker gives
assignments to people, to each according to each
ones unique ability (Matt. 25:15). As he
calls, he equips. Look back over your life. What
have you consistently done well? What have you
loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your
affections and successes and find your uniqueness.
You have one. A divine spark. An uncommon
call to an uncommon life. The Spirit has given
each of us a special way of serving others (1
Cor. 12:7 CEV). So much for the excuse I
dont have anything to offer. Did the apostle
Paul say, The Spirit has given some of us
? Or, The Spirit has given a few of us
? No. The Spirit has given each of us a
special way of serving others. Enough of this
self-deprecating I cant do anything.
And enough of its arrogant opposite: I
have to do everything. No, you dont!
Youre not Gods solution to society, but a
solution in society. Imitate Paul, who said, Our
goal is to stay within the boundaries of Gods
plan for us (2 Cor. 10:13 NLT). Clarify your
contribution.
Dont worry about skills you dont
have. Dont covet strengths others do have. Just
extract your uniqueness. Kindle afresh the gift
of God which is in you (2 Tim. 1:6 NASB).
[Max Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
ILLUSTRATIONS
Your Place in God's Band
Two of my teenage years were spent
carrying a tuba in my high school marching band. My
mom wanted me to learn to read music, and the
choir was full while the band was a tuba-tooter
short, so I signed up. Not necessarily what you
would describe as a call from God, but it wasnt
a wasted experience either.
I had a date with a twirler.
I learned to paint white shoe polish on
school buses.
And I learned some facts about harmony
that Ill pass on to you.
I marched next to the bass-drum player.
What a great sound. Boom. Boom. Boom. Deep,
cavernous, thundering.
And at the end of my flank marched the
flute section. Oh, how their music soared.
Whispering, lifting, rising into the clouds.
Ahead of me, at the front of my line, was
our first-chair trumpet. He could raise the
spirit. He could raise the flag. He could have
raised the roof on the stadium if wed had one.
The soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet
needs
the steady drum
needs
the soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet.
Get the idea? The operative word is need.
They need each other.
By themselves they make music. But
together, they make magic.
Now, what I saw two decades ago in the
band, I see today in the church. We need each
other. Not all of us play the same instrument. Some
believers are lofty, and others are solid. Some keep
the pace while others lead the band. Not all of
us make the same sound. Some are soft, and
others are loud. And not all of us have the same
ability. But each of us has a place.
Some play the drums (like Martha).
Some play the flute (like Mary).
And others sound the trumpet (like
Lazarus).
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were like
family to Jesus. After the Lord raised Lazarus from
the dead, they decided to give a dinner for
Jesus. They decided to honor him by having a party
on his behalf (see John 12:2).
They didnt argue over the best seat.
They didnt resent each others abilities.
They didnt try to outdo each other. All three
worked together with one purpose. But each one
fulfilled that purpose in his or her unique manner.
Martha served; she always kept everyone in step.
Mary worshiped; she anointed her Lord with an
extravagant gift, and its aroma filled the air. Lazarus
had a story to tell, and he was ready to tell
it.
Three people, each one with a different
skill, a different ability. But each one of equal
value. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
Have you ever noticed how uniquely
adapted each animal is to its environment and its
way of life? On land, a duck waddles along
ungainly on its webbed feet. In the water, it glides
along smooth as glass. The rabbit runs with ease
and great bursts of speed, but I've never seen
one swimming laps. The squirrel climbs anything
in sight but cannot fly (unless you count great
airborne leaps from limb to limb), while the eagle
soars to mountaintops.
What's true of creatures in the forest is
true of Christians in the family. God has not
made us all the same. He never intended to. He
planned that there be differences, unique
capabilities, variations in the Body. So concerned was He
that we realize this, He spelled it out several
times in His Word. I charge you to take the time
to read 1 Corinthians 12 slowly and aloud.
Those thirty-one verses tell us about His desires
and designs - which are more attractive than any
thirty-one flavors!
The subject is commonly called "spiritual
gifts," and it is as helpful as any truth the
believer can ever know. In a nutshell, here's the
scoop.
God has placed you in His family and
given you a certain mixture that makes you unique.
No mixture is insignificant! That mix pleases
Him completely. Nobody else is exactly like you.
That should bring you pleasure, too.
When you operate in your realm of
capabilities, you will excel and the whole Body will
benefit and you will experience incredible
satisfaction. When others operate in their realm, then
balance, unity, and health automatically occur in the
Body. It's amazing!
But when you compare or force or
entertain expectations that reach beyond your or
others' God-given capabilities, then you can expect
frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and, in the long
run, defeat.
If God made you a duck saint - youre a
duck, friend. Swim like mad but don't get bent out
of shape because you wobble when you run.
Furthermore, if you're an eagle saint, stop expecting
squirrel saints to soar or rabbit saints to build
the same kind of nests you do.
Accept your spiritual species. Cultivate
your capabilities. Stop comparing. Enjoy being
you!
No one else is exactly like you.
Cultivate your capabilities. Refuse to compare or
control. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
CLOSING THOUGHT
What a thrill and an honor for Bezalel
and Oholiab to be chosen by God as master
craftsmen in charge of building his Tabernacle, the
place where his people would worship, then to be
filled with his Spirit and fitted with unique
wisdom and skills to get the work done precisely
how God envisioned it. If only we all could be
so fortunate....
Then again, we are.
You know that talent of yours? The one
others have said seems to come so naturally to you?
Maybe it is something you wouldn't even consider a
skill at first glance. It could simply be a
character quality such as a calming presence, a giving
nature, or a knack for making others feel welcome.
You didn't come by any of those wonderful
assets by accident. They're signs of God's hand at
work in you, readying you to serve him and others
in a special way he designed.
How easily we lose sight of our own
uniqueness. You're one of a kind, a priceless
masterpiece. That might sound clich, but let it sink in
before you move on with your day. No one can touch
others' lives exactly as you can. God molded your
quirks and idiosyncrasies for something bigger than
yourself. Your life is purposeful, whether or not you
feel like it is today.
You're on this earth for God's greater
plan, a plan that extends into eternity. Instead
of viewing life as merely passing time, grab
hold of God's gifts to you and let him use you
for something remarkable. He may touch one life
through you, or he may change the world.
Either way, you'll bless others - and be
blessed, too - when you ask him to fill you with his
Spirit and put you to use for whatever he intends.
"God, please remind me that my life is
your design, and my unique qualities have a
purpose for you. Thank you for fitting me for
something unlike what you plan for anyone else. Please
help me to not be shortsighted and miss it." [The
Daily God Book By Erin Keeley Marshall re Exodus
31:3]
EXCELLENT SPIRITUAL GIFT INVENTORY SITES
(identifying your spiritual gifts):
Questionaire:
https://www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org/iicm-core-cr-01-resources
Powerpoint:
https://www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org/cr-01-spiritual-gifts-keys-to-ministry
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100819-1457.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080218-0717.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28 Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28 Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo
11th of 28 The Law of God:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Q601HjogI
12th of 28 The Sabbath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakgnKoTzZI
13th of 28 The Church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFw2XsTW-w
14th of 28 The Gift of Prophecy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiO2VC09NPI
Live ongoing series in progress.
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
