Episode 560

TODAY’S READING

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 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.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

What we’re reading here is how God has given us all different kinds of gifts. What I love about us as a people is that we are all unique. We all have different skills, and skills and gifts are different, but our skills are the things that make us different in the sense that one person can cook. Another person can sing, and another person can probably draw a masterpiece while one doesn’t or cannot, and that person’s more athletic. So those are individual skills. Maybe you have skills or communication at work, whereas others may struggle with communication. Maybe you have the skill of listening, where it’s hard for some people to listen. And so skills are different things that we can learn or that we can perfect or things that we weren’t necessarily born with, but we along the way adopted. 

Now the difference between that and a gift is that the gifts of the Spirit were given to us. They were assigned to us at birth, and they were given to us from God. So although we may not be equally skilled, we are all gifted. And it’s a great thing that we have different skills because if you think about our unique abilities, it makes us who we are. And if you think about a world in which we can all do the same thing. We can clearly and probably all agree that it would be extremely boring. So I want you today to remember to think about the skills that make you unique, but then I also want you to think about the gifts that God has given you. You see, this verse solidifies that one may be given the gift of wisdom, and the other will be given the gift of healing. And the best part is that gifts are free. So it didn’t require our years of practice or training God gave us these gifts because he knew that our gifts would benefit us on our journey in this world. So whatever gift you have, whatever gift God gave you, it’s different from your skill. 

You may be able to sing, but you might also have the gift of faith. And when you produce both of those together, you might be a very big benefit to your worship team. And for another, you might have the skill of communicating, but you also might have been given the gift of wisdom if you can communicate the wisdom that God has given you. You can probably impact a generation—all of this to say that we are all unique. We’ve been given skills that we have refined on our own time on this earth. But we have also been given gifts that were given to us and assigned to us at birth, and so today’s encouragement is to find that sweet spot. Where can we take our skills and our gifts and merge them into one?

Prayer:

Father God, we thank you, and we love you, Lord, thank you for this beautiful Friday, and we ask that you stay. We ask that you bless this upcoming weekend, or we all have different skills that we have worked on and refined skills that make us unique. And Lord, Lord, we also have gifts that you have given us through the Spirit. Gifts that give us wisdom and healing, prophecy different things that allow us to tap into your goodness that allow you that well within us to shine through us. So Lord, help us in using both to spread the Gospel and to spread the love of Christ. We ask that you bless this beautiful day, and it is in your holy name that we pray, Amen.