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NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries
October 11
GOD GIVES THE GIFTS
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there
are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord (1 Corinthians
12:4, 5).
Perspective is the value of distance. Step back from the details
of 1 Corinthians 12-14, the classic passage on spiritual gifts.
What is Paul trying to say? There are a variety of spiritual
gifts and manifestations of the Spirit. In the midst of this
diversity, there is unity, because there is only one Spirit and
one Lord. God gives the gifts as He wills. Spirit gifts and
manifestations come and go and come again for the purpose of
accomplishing God's will. What remains is faith, hope and love.
These are the lasting and continuous standards by which we
evaluate our ministry and our lives.
Paul says, "I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct
himself in the household of God, which is the church of the
living God, the pillar and support of the truth" (1 Timothy
3:15). Truth is the object of our faith. If we know the truth it
will set us free to grow in love with the hope of eternity before
us. The church is gifted to accomplish that objective. Gifts are
a means to an end, never an end in themselves. When "gifts"
become an end in themselves, they fail to accomplish their
purpose and become the basis for spiritual pride. Godly character
is our goal, and it must take precedence over the gifts.
The overwhelming thrust of the rest of Scripture encourages us to
seek God and trust Him to gift us as He sees fit for the
edification of the church. "Seek not, forsake not" seems to be
the balance we need. Our responsibility is to yield to the Holy
Spirit. However He chooses to fill us is His responsibility.
On this Christmas Eve, let us consider the greatest gift of all:
the gift of eternal life. And let us give thanks for the
tremendous sacrifice of love. Jesus came that we might have life,
and then He laid down His own life for us. The Peace Child was
sacrificed that we may have peace with God. What could possibly
make Christmas merrier?
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of life. May the gifts You have
entrusted to me be used to bring faith, hope and love to others.
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This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.27153.1.1698058.
Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.27153.2.1698058.
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