Welcome to the PoG Blog! Today's scripture is,
1 Corinthians 12 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 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. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
As we have been walking through this series on the Holy Spirit in the messages at Point of Grace there has been an overwhelming theme that the Holy Spirit is in charge and I am not! I am reminded of what Jesus said about the Spirit being like the wind - you see evidence of it but you cannot control it. Again in these verses we see that the Holy Spirit is in charge - even of how He works in peoples lives, "11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
He is in charge and I am not! That is a good thing - even when getting gifts. It is best that way! He doesn't come to me in a "What do you want for Christmas?" mode. He knows better what is best for me than I do. This doesn't mean that I am not involved though. I need to be a full participant, a good receiver, a great experiencer and exerciser of the gifts He has given me. The body of Christ needs me to show up and use my gifts and manifest the Holy Spirit as He determines!
I few weeks ago I discovered that I am not as good a receiver as I thought I was - especially in those arenas I am not in charge of. Our kids surprised Dawn and I for our anniversary with a 24 hour rental of a yellow 2013 Camero convertible! It was fun. But it surprised me how I had to be very intentional in my thinking and actions as we were beginning to experience the gift in order for me to enjoy the gift. I have come to the conclusion I struggled a bit because I was not in charge of the gift. It is not something I would have ever asked for. It was totally out of the box for us to intentionally drive around just "enjoying" life in a unique way! I ended up enjoying the experience tremendously and so appreciate the gift that our children "determined" for us to get. What I had to get past was the fact that "I wasn't in charge"!
I think that my life will get small and boring if I am in charge of all the gifts I get - so it is with the Holy Spirit! I want to fully engage in all He has for me but I am discovering that I really do not need to be in charge of the gifts He gives me or how He works in me! Holy Spirit surprises are good I think!
delton
What are your thoughts and feelings on this text?
I would love to listen!