Press the arrow to listen to Hillsong sing “With All I Am” as you read today’s devotion on desiring spiritual gifts.
Scripture
So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:31
Observation
There are many wonderful assessment tools that can help a person discover the ability God has woven into their personality. There is the Meyers-Briggs, DISC, Strengths Finder and even spiritual gifts tests of various kinds. These are helpful in discovering our personality and how God has formed that.
But we must remember that gifts of the Spirit are quite different from personal traits. These gifts are not something we are born with, these, as gifts, are something that come to us extra after birth. Otherwise Paul would not tell us to desire spiritual gifts and to ask for them. These spiritual gifts are not the result of DNA and something innate in us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are really Christ in us, working through us to show him to others.
Because these gifts come in addition to personality, they are dynamic and change. For new seasons, God can give new things. The conditions around us combined with the prayers within us can evoke new abilities from the Lord.
We are to desire gifts, because there are additional things that God wants to give to us. The desire that God responds to is not the selfish desire of self-development, but the selfless desire of serving others. We should earnestly desire the gifts that will be the most helpful to those who are around us. Our spiritual gifts are not given for us, but to us for others. Our gifts belong to others and their gifts belong to me. The nature of any gift from God is that it must be given away.
Application
God wants to give me more than I have and my asking is only limited by the need of those around me. Throughout my life, I’ve said yes to the Lord for so many things. That yes seems to pull me out into the deep where I need more than I currently have. It’s happening again today.
Prayer
Father, continue to expand the work of the Holy Spirit today. Show me what others need through me Lord and do something eternal through me I pray. Amen.
