1 Corinthians has been kicking my butt! So many challenges
that I am falling short of. Again, just another proof that the Word of God is
truly alive: I have read the book of 1 Corinthians many, many times. Yet these
truths speak to me in new ways today than they did the last time I read them.
Even passages I have highlighted previously have been forgotten and are
reminders of how far I am fallen. I am forgiven and redeemed, but I am still
fallen. I am still a sinner. I still need forgiveness and redemption each and
every day.
Two passages that particularly stuck out to me this read-
through:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of
activities, but it is the same God who empowers them to everyone. To each is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given
through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge
according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another
gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to
another prophecy, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit,
who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
I have heard many sermons and sat through many classroom
lectures regarding spiritual gifts. This passage comes from the ESV and the
wording is beautiful. This is at least my 4th time reading this
passage in the ESV (as my current Bible was my wedding present from my husband),
yet I had never noticed the way the gifts are worded. Specifically, I liked the
differentiation of “wisdom” and “knowledge”. One can have much knowledge but
not be a very wise person. I consider myself to be in this category. I have a
lot of common sense (according to my husband), I have a lot of knowledge (as I
enjoy learning and love to read), but that does not mean I am a wise person. I
often get haughty in my knowledge, especially when interacting with those who
are less intelligent. I believe that part of being wise is being humble. This
is a struggle in my life and I aim to develop an attitude of humility. So often
people mistake wisdom and knowledge for the same thing. But these are separate
gifts and very different qualities. One can have knowledge and be wise, but
that is something I need to work on.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be
strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
This is a verse I had previously highlighted. I have
absolutely no recollection of this passage, however. This spoke to me in two
ways. The first sentence seems fitting for our entrance into the military.
Matthew will need to be watchful and to “act like a man” when going through
training. I will need to stand firm in the faith and be strong as I manage the home
front. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the thought of Matt deploying or
even going through the rigors of training. But I must keep faith in the Lord and
his path for our family. The second sentence is something I have recently been
focusing on. I am not a very loving person. I can be a loving person… to those
I deem worthy. This may not be such a huge problem if I wasn’t such a proud
person. Pride gets in the way of so many things, including relationships. Too
often if someone is different than me I choose to ignore him or her. Worse, I
choose to go out of my way to avoid that person. I am getting much better at
accepting people (and have gained some wonderful friendships along the way),
but I still have a long way to go. If I act in love towards all people, then I
will have no choice but to love them with the love of Christ.
I plan to add to this post tonight or tomorrow about my personal spiritual gift, but baby is stirring. Check back!
[addition]
It is now 9:30 pm on Sunday, July 15. This just shows how life is with a baby! I wrote the bulk of this post last night while Jack was sleeping. He was stirring and it was time for him to eat so I finished up quickly and planned to come back to finish after he settled down again. Well, he settled down... as long as he was snuggled with Mommy. It was awhile before I could put him in his sleeper next to my bed. Today we went to church and took a long nap. When Jack was awake we were busy playing and finishing up some household chores (laundry and making good use of our new vacuum, which is amazing!). We skyped with Grammy and Papa in Michigan and Jack fell asleep towards the end of that conversation. I placed him in his sleeper, got ready for bed, and finally had a free moment to finish this post. Life as a parent... and to think, I want many more little munchkins! Parenthood is the most rewarding privilege, however. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My schedule is very different now than it was pre-baby, but I like it better! It keeps me more accountable and responsible.
So, my personal spiritual gift. I took a test on spiritual gifts to help determine my strengths. I took this test in college and again just now. If you look at my life pre-college, in college, and now you will notice that while I remain the same person with the same general disposition, I grow in many other areas. I have learned to go out of my comfort zone and in my more zealous attributes I have learned to be more mild. That being said, my spiritual gift is that of "helper". I scored highest in that area, but my scores for "administrator" and "teacher" were not that different.
The test I took states:
Your two highest gifts (gift mix)
HELPER: That special ability to do service-oriented work for God in necessary tasks that may seem routine and mundane. The helper usually enjoys serving without public attention, doing such tasks as preparing a meeting room or working on a church building (I Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7, 16:1,2 NKJV: I Pet. 4:10,11).
ADMINISTRATOR: That special ability to manage human, financial, and physical resources in an efficient manner. The administrator functions by planning, organizing, leading and supervising (Rom. 12:8; I Cor. 12:28; Titus 1:5).
After reading those descriptions, I have to agree. I dislike being a leader in any given situation, but enjoy lending a helping hand whenever possible. With administrator, I enjoy creating a plan and following through. I was moved into the position of "recruitment coordinator" at work so I can better utilize those strengths.
It is important to know one's spiritual gifts so you can serve most efficiently. I took Elmer Towns' spiritual gifts test. Elmer Towns is the co-founder of Liberty University. I enjoyed his classes, his books, and I love listening to him speak. He is such a wise man. You can take his test here: www.elmertowns.com/spiritualgiftstest
Use your gift to glorify God and to serve others!
I plan to add to this post tonight or tomorrow about my personal spiritual gift, but baby is stirring. Check back!
[addition]
It is now 9:30 pm on Sunday, July 15. This just shows how life is with a baby! I wrote the bulk of this post last night while Jack was sleeping. He was stirring and it was time for him to eat so I finished up quickly and planned to come back to finish after he settled down again. Well, he settled down... as long as he was snuggled with Mommy. It was awhile before I could put him in his sleeper next to my bed. Today we went to church and took a long nap. When Jack was awake we were busy playing and finishing up some household chores (laundry and making good use of our new vacuum, which is amazing!). We skyped with Grammy and Papa in Michigan and Jack fell asleep towards the end of that conversation. I placed him in his sleeper, got ready for bed, and finally had a free moment to finish this post. Life as a parent... and to think, I want many more little munchkins! Parenthood is the most rewarding privilege, however. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My schedule is very different now than it was pre-baby, but I like it better! It keeps me more accountable and responsible.
So, my personal spiritual gift. I took a test on spiritual gifts to help determine my strengths. I took this test in college and again just now. If you look at my life pre-college, in college, and now you will notice that while I remain the same person with the same general disposition, I grow in many other areas. I have learned to go out of my comfort zone and in my more zealous attributes I have learned to be more mild. That being said, my spiritual gift is that of "helper". I scored highest in that area, but my scores for "administrator" and "teacher" were not that different.
The test I took states:
Your two highest gifts (gift mix)
HELPER: That special ability to do service-oriented work for God in necessary tasks that may seem routine and mundane. The helper usually enjoys serving without public attention, doing such tasks as preparing a meeting room or working on a church building (I Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7, 16:1,2 NKJV: I Pet. 4:10,11).
ADMINISTRATOR: That special ability to manage human, financial, and physical resources in an efficient manner. The administrator functions by planning, organizing, leading and supervising (Rom. 12:8; I Cor. 12:28; Titus 1:5).
After reading those descriptions, I have to agree. I dislike being a leader in any given situation, but enjoy lending a helping hand whenever possible. With administrator, I enjoy creating a plan and following through. I was moved into the position of "recruitment coordinator" at work so I can better utilize those strengths.
It is important to know one's spiritual gifts so you can serve most efficiently. I took Elmer Towns' spiritual gifts test. Elmer Towns is the co-founder of Liberty University. I enjoyed his classes, his books, and I love listening to him speak. He is such a wise man. You can take his test here: www.elmertowns.com/spiritualgiftstest
Use your gift to glorify God and to serve others!
