James 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift comes from above; from the Father of heavenly lights. The Father does not change like shifting shadows produced by the sun and moon."
(This is ironic because James 1:17 has been my favourite verse since I was 8 years old)
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For 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 the ability to distinguish between spirits, 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."
day five: spiritual gifts.
ok. so i've been thinking this for over a week now. I think and look at myself. there are some areas in my life that im like 'YES this is a talent/gift from God.' great! that may be true. but then you have to take the next move and think how you are to serve God and others with it. in Ephesians it lists a ton of spiritual gifts. Teaching, pastoring, speech, healing(physician), etc. it goes on for a while... anyway. I look at my earthly gift/talents and obviously I love them. but how could I serve God and others with it?? if I knew specially what my spiritual gift is, it would be a bit different. ok, ok I understand I still have a long life ahead of me to understand. but I wish I could serve God more than I do, now. how can I if I am not knowledgeable of my 'gift'? the one thing I have been trying to do for the past week is be more hospitable. EVERYWHERE. its hard, I gotta tell you. I don't want to be hospitable to get people to look at me and think im such a great person. I don't. I want them to know where its coming from and who im serving. I want people to see something different in me.
Colossians 4:5-6 says,
"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
That verse totally means something. and it should. everyday I pray to God, hoping he will open my eyes to see what im gifted in and how to use it to serve Him and His desires for my life. it's a lot to ask for but its something I struggle to understand. God loves me and He will do what He thinks is the best move in my life. I know He will. so whatever his plans are, even if I disagree with them, they're HIS plans. and they will stay that way until I have completed them. for He created me and he has won my heart and life. He would never do anything to hurt anyone, and so neither shall I with Him. even if that means i have to put aside my plans in my life in order to follow His, SO BE IT.
