The Royal Baby, Searching for Spiritual Gifts, and Measuring the Power of God

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. (1 Timothy 4:14 NKJV)

 

   Paul admonished Timothy to not neglect his spiritual gifting. He also reminds Timothy that God released a gift in Him as church elders asked the Lord in prayer to do so. So, how/when/where do we get/receive/awaken ministry gifts in our lives?

 

   There is no such thing is a Christian who lacks any spiritual gifting. We know this because Paul wrote to the Corinthian church -- But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all......  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. God, through the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to each believer. This results from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we receive at the moment  of our salvation.

 

   A huge market has developed in the Christian community for classes, products, and tests which portend to determine each individual's specific gifting. Seems kind of implausible that God would bless us with gifts, but leave us in need of the wisdom of men to determine the identity of those gifts. I Googled Testing for spiritual gifts, and got over 47 million results. I compared some of the top results and found a wide variety of questions and even the number of things identified as spiritual gifts. So I wondered if we aren't taking these "inventories" too literally. We act as if they are comparable to scientific blood tests, with accurate and irreversible results. Because of these views we tend to think of the results of these assessments as static, lasting and final when actually they provide at best a spiritual snapshot of a moment in time. Can we really rely on the results of our answers to about a hundred multiple choice questions to reveal the limits of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives? I don't think so.  

 

   Oh, take the test for yourself if you like. It won't harm you, but view the results with healthy skepticism. Don't lament the gifts you find yourself lacking, but rather follow Paul's admonition as he concludes his discourse on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 --(vs31) But earnestly desire the greatest gifts.

 

   We are limited, but our Father is limitless, and has often used the least likely candidates for His greatest purposes. A royal baby was born in London yesterday. He is said to be "third in line for the throne". We serve a King who can never be replaced, and when we kneel before Him in prayer, we are first in line at the throne.

 

   We are limited, but often by our lack of earnest desire for gifts we either believe we don't deserve or couldn't handle we neglect God's gifting.

 

   We are limited, but often by the results of a "test" that purported to measure the power of God within us, but really only revealed a hint of His Presence within us at a particular moment in time.

 

   But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26 NKJV) If all things are possible, take your earnest desires to Him in prayer. Receive whatever He gives you with thanksgiving, and don't measure your ability to walk out  His challenging gifting by the assessment of yourself, other Christians, or especially a test created by the human mind.

 

   As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 NKJV)

 

 

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