4-24-19 Today in the Word

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT 
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 | 1 Corinthians 12:1–11
Have you ever opened a gift so perfectly chosen for you that it brought you to tears? Maybe it was a gift you received as a child—something you longed for—or a gift given to you as an adult that demonstrated how well your loved one knew you.
In today’s passage, we celebrate the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. The word used for spiritual gifts is charisma, the Greek word for “gift.” It is similar to the word charis, which means “grace” in Greek. Grace (charis) is God’s gift given to us for our salvation; and charisma, the gift of the Spirit, is used not to save us but to enable us to edify others. Both are freely given and life changing!
Our spiritual gifts are given to us by God and individually selected. For additional reading on spiritual gifts, see Romans 12:6–8 and Ephesians 4. In these passages, we see that our spiritual gifts are important to the body of Christ. God uses your gifts “for the common good” (v. 7) to build His church.
The primary spiritual gift that Christians receive is the Holy Spirit, who empowers us for ministry. He enables all believers to serve God in a variety of contexts and ways. The Holy Spirit works in supernatural ways and also enables us to use our natural abilities for God’s glory.
The gift of the Spirit’s indwelling is given to us at conversion. As we mature in our faith and grow in our experience of serving God, He enables us to recognize these gifts and use them to build up the church for the glory of God. To begin exploring how God has gifted you, ask the following: What do I enjoy doing? What ministry in my life does God seem to be blessing? What gifts do others see in me?
APPLY THE WORD
If you would like to understand more about the Holy Spirit and your gifts, we suggest these resources from Moody Publishers: The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit by Merrill F. Unger and an ebook The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit by Rene Pache. These are available from the Moody Publishers website or your favorite book retailer.

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