Your Spiritual Gift?
I was randomly asked a question today by a classmate, out of nowhere, who said, "What's your spiritual gift?" I don't speak with her; I didn't even know her name. She just asked me what my spiritual gift was. The first thing that came to my mind (and probably most everyone's minds) was "I sing, I dance, blah, blah, blah..."
Then she says "No, not talent. I'm talking about your spiritual gift."
That's what I thought was a really deep question. I barely scratched the sufrace by responding: "There's been a lot of close encounters, where I'm in grave danger without knowing it, yet God pulls me out of intense situations. Moments like 'that could've been me'. After the miracle of being run over and surviving as a child, things have been so weird where's too many incidents around me where there's 'snipers', or 'tornadoes', or 'serial killers'." And she said she understood.
Reflecting upon that, I thought back to a lesson my mom taught me a few years ago on spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 says this: Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
It's all on a spiritual basis, not on a personal basis. If someone asked you a question about your faith, will you be able to say "Jesus is Lord"? Would you be ashamed as to push away the Truth?
When you have the Spirit that invokes you to say "Jesus is Lord" without being ashamed, surely God has a gift in store for you. For a lot of people, it's the faith. Faith is gained not by what you see--it's by what your hear. The Spirit God has granted you to have faith and stay true to what He's told you is there.
For some, God has granted the gift of speaking in tongues, and that's something that I ponder on as well. Not everyone truly speaks in tongues--they fake it, because the "feeling" calls for it. There are those who truly have the Spirit to speak through you, in ways you won't understand. When the Spirit of God is upon you to that measure, you won't know it--it's that powerful. The interpretation of tongues is the same--to the flesh, it's gibberish. However, if God has placed that Spirit in you to interpret what He's telling you, there is your Spiritual gift.
But that Spirit doesn't come by itself, as much as I, you, and everyone wishes it would. You must, you MUST, be connected to God. You have to walk in the faith, you have to speak with Him, pray everyday, read His Word, praise, worship, give your life to Him. It's only this way you can experience His love and His gift in your life.
Everyone has a gift God has given them. You have to be the one to understand and discover what your gift is, only by serving Him wholeheartedly. Start your journey today.
--Medi the WARRIOR
(John 15:5)
Then she says "No, not talent. I'm talking about your spiritual gift."
That's what I thought was a really deep question. I barely scratched the sufrace by responding: "There's been a lot of close encounters, where I'm in grave danger without knowing it, yet God pulls me out of intense situations. Moments like 'that could've been me'. After the miracle of being run over and surviving as a child, things have been so weird where's too many incidents around me where there's 'snipers', or 'tornadoes', or 'serial killers'." And she said she understood.
Reflecting upon that, I thought back to a lesson my mom taught me a few years ago on spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 says this: Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
It's all on a spiritual basis, not on a personal basis. If someone asked you a question about your faith, will you be able to say "Jesus is Lord"? Would you be ashamed as to push away the Truth?
When you have the Spirit that invokes you to say "Jesus is Lord" without being ashamed, surely God has a gift in store for you. For a lot of people, it's the faith. Faith is gained not by what you see--it's by what your hear. The Spirit God has granted you to have faith and stay true to what He's told you is there.
For some, God has granted the gift of speaking in tongues, and that's something that I ponder on as well. Not everyone truly speaks in tongues--they fake it, because the "feeling" calls for it. There are those who truly have the Spirit to speak through you, in ways you won't understand. When the Spirit of God is upon you to that measure, you won't know it--it's that powerful. The interpretation of tongues is the same--to the flesh, it's gibberish. However, if God has placed that Spirit in you to interpret what He's telling you, there is your Spiritual gift.
But that Spirit doesn't come by itself, as much as I, you, and everyone wishes it would. You must, you MUST, be connected to God. You have to walk in the faith, you have to speak with Him, pray everyday, read His Word, praise, worship, give your life to Him. It's only this way you can experience His love and His gift in your life.
Everyone has a gift God has given them. You have to be the one to understand and discover what your gift is, only by serving Him wholeheartedly. Start your journey today.
--Medi the WARRIOR
(John 15:5)
posted by Medi Kay at
8:46 AM
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