As promised, I am going to begin a series of posts on spiritual gifts. I've held off doing this because I wanted to do it with a right heart. I'm glad I held off, because today's sermon gave me our first topic. I want to give credit where it is due, so "thank you" to Mike Nichols for your message on love today.
I want to discuss love because it is a very important part of understanding the topic of spiritual gifting. Love is the ONLY spiritual gift promised to every believer. The "love chapter", I Corinthians 13, falls in the middle of Paul's discussion on spiritual gifts. Why would Paul place a chapter on love in the middle of such a discussion?
Chapter 12 introduces us to the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit: words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation; then tells us that we are all members of the same body, and that as such, our gifts are to be used for the edification of the Body of Christ--the Church. I think that verse 11 demands some attention here, and I will discuss this at a later date: "All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who appoints to each one individually as He wills." (ESV, emphasis mine) These outward gifts are given to individuals by the Holy Spirit; not everyone receives the same gifts. He (Paul) ends the chapter asking if everyone receives specific gifts. I'd like to address this, too, at a later date.
Chapter 14 discusses prophecy and tongues specifically, saying that prophecy is more beneficial to the church because it can be understood by everyone. More on this later.
So, we have the discussion on love between chapters on outward, active giftings. Why? Because if the outward gifts are not exercised in love, then they are worthless. Love is the only gift given to ALL believers. To understand this, we must turn to I John 4. Verses 7-8 and 16 read this way: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love...So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (ESV) So, we know that God is love. We also know that anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior receives the Holy Spirit as a sign and seal. The Holy Spirit is God. Thus, anyone who accepts Christ receives God and His love. That's it. The gift of love, the "more excellent way" (I Cor. 12:30b), is given to all of us. This is not the "touchy-feely" physical love, or the love between friends and family. This is love that lasts forever, a covenant love that says "I will love always, no matter what happens, what you do or say"--agape love. But wait a minute, you say. Not everyone who has accepted Christ loves the same way or to the same extent. You may be correct, but love is like any other gift, physical or spiritual--it must be used. That requires action, a decision on the part of the recipient.
So my challenge is this: reflect on your actions this past day or week. How have you used the gift of love? How have you loved your neighbor? Your co-worker? Your spouse? Your children? Is God's love for you reflected in how you love others?
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