Friends in Christ Weekly Message
May 18, 2002

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (CEV*)

This verse is in Paul's section on different people having different spiritual gifts. It's not one of the most familiar verses of the section, but it caught my attention on this reading. It includes three important insights, from which more follows when you consider their implications:

1. Our particular spiritual talents and abilities are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should be humble about them. As God's gifts to us, we should give God the credit for them and consider God responsible for the good that comes through their exercise.
    
2. These gifts are special. They are special in that not everyone has the same gifts, so we have gifts that many others don't. They are also special because they allow us to be part of the living out of God's purposes on earth.
    
3. These gifts are for serving others. Just as Jesus came to serve (see Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45), so those who are followers of Jesus should see serving others as a priority. The gifts we have been given are not for our own aggrandizement, but to enable us to serve. There are many ways to serve others, and we should serve in ways appropriate to the spiritual gifts we have been given.

What are your spiritual gifts? Do you thank God for them and give God the credit for the good they bring? Do you use your spiritual gifts to serve others?

Bill Samuel

* Contemporary English Version ©1995 American Bible Society.

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