The Gifts Were Never Yours to Keep
The Gifts Were Never Yours to Keep
1 Corinthians 12:7 -- Paul states that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good of the whole body, not for personal benefit or recognition.
Every gift you carry -- whether visible or invisible, celebrated or overlooked -- was given to you for someone else. The Spirit did not distribute gifts so that individuals could build platforms. He distributed them so that the body could be built up. This reorients everything. The question is no longer what can I get from being here, but what has God equipped me to give? The insecure believer hides the gift. The self-sufficient believer hoards it. But the faithful member of the body opens both hands and says, this was never mine to keep. It was always meant for us.
Reflection: What gifts or abilities has God placed in your life that you have been withholding from the body?
Practical Application: Sign up for one area of service in the church that stretches you beyond your comfort zone.
1 Corinthians 12:7 -- Paul states that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good of the whole body, not for personal benefit or recognition.
Every gift you carry -- whether visible or invisible, celebrated or overlooked -- was given to you for someone else. The Spirit did not distribute gifts so that individuals could build platforms. He distributed them so that the body could be built up. This reorients everything. The question is no longer what can I get from being here, but what has God equipped me to give? The insecure believer hides the gift. The self-sufficient believer hoards it. But the faithful member of the body opens both hands and says, this was never mine to keep. It was always meant for us.
Reflection: What gifts or abilities has God placed in your life that you have been withholding from the body?
Practical Application: Sign up for one area of service in the church that stretches you beyond your comfort zone.
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