Everybody Loves A Gift

Christmas was just over a month ago, our tree is down and the decorations have been put away since the first of the year.  All the gifts that didn’t fit have been returned and the others are being used.

When I think of Christmas, or anytime we give gifts, I often wonder if the recipient is using the gift.  It is no fun giving a gift that is unwanted or not needed, because it won’t be used.  

The Spirit of God gives us gifts.  Our scripture passage today says that the gifts are given, “for the common good”, or as the New Living Translations says, “so we can help each other.”  We do not get every gift.  The Spirit of God determines which ones he gives and to whom.  The important thing for us to do is USE THE GIFT we have been given.

If you are trusted with the gift of prophesy and don’t share the word God has given you, you won’t help the person God sent you too.  If you can interpret tongues yet keep silent, the message God wanted shared will not be revealed.

When it comes to the gifts of the Spirit, God is a great gift giver.  He will give you the exact right gift.  He does not make mistakes.  Use your gift or gifts.  Don’t be afraid of them.  Use your wisdom or knowledge for his good.  Heal people he sends you to heal.  If you can perform miracles, do it for His glory.

We tend to see the works of the Holy Spirit as taboo in North America, but remember God has not changed. The same God we read about in the pages of scripture is the one we serve today!  So, pretend it’s Christmas morning.  Unwrap your gift and start using it.

Read today's passage here.  1 Corinthians 12:4-11

When Knowledge Grows Up

“It was just before the Passover Feast.  Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  The evening meal was being served...  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet...” John 13:1-5

All children dream about what they want to be when they grow up. Take young Knowledge, for instance.  When Knowledge grows up, he wants to be a doer.  After all, he has a good role model ...

Think of all that Jesus knew about his last week on earth. He knew the time had come for him to leave this world. He knew Judas would betray him. He knew Peter would deny him. He knew the Jews would condemn him. He knew the Gentiles would mock him ... insult him ... spit on him ... flog him ... and crucify him. And he knew his Father in heaven would forsake him for one most crucial moment in history.

He knew all of this because he knew the scriptures, which had foretold it. And he trusted that ultimate authority with his life.

So now that his time had come, what did Jesus do? He “showed [his disciples] the full extent of his love”: he washed their feet and taught them humility.

In just a few hours, he would face betrayal, denial, condemnation, torture and execution, so how could Jesus possibly focus his attention on serving and teaching his friends? He could because also knew this: the Father had put all things under his power, he had come from God, and he was returning to God. And knowing the peace and certainty of these promises, Jesus was free to continue serving others in humility, right to the end.

There comes a point in our spiritual life at which “knowing” must mature into “doing.” After Jesus finished washing the disciples’ feet, he said to them, “You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.... Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Our “Teacher” has taught us his truth; we are forever equipped in heart, mind and spirit. Our “Lord” now sends us to do; the world all around us is our mission field to serve as we are called ... day by day, moment by moment. To some, we bring encouragement. To some, we bring food. To some, we bring salvation. To some, we speak truth into confusion. To some, we simply listen. To all, we bring Truth and Life.

And just as Jesus found peace and freedom in the certainty of scripture, we also serve in the peace and promises of God. We take strength from Paul's assurance to the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)”

In most of us, Knowledge has learned enough from the Teacher to go and serve its Lord. It is time for us to let loose the apron strings and let Knowledge go out and be what it has always wanted to be ... what it was raised to be ... a doer.

(To see today's devotional reading, John 13:1-17, 31-35, click here.)

Warning, Too Much Knowledge Can Go To Your Head, 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

I remember going through drivers ed. as I approached my sixteenth birthday. Back in the day, you couldn’t do your in-car training until you were actually sixteen, but you could take the classes. I can still see the room we sat in. We learned about the car and some basics on driving, but more than anything I remember the graphic videos we watched.

I think they showed us those videos as a way of saying, “Before we give you knowledge in the car we are going to show you what damage that knowledge can cause if not used properly.” The videos were meant to shock and scare us into using caution while we were behind the wheel.

Our scripture passage today is doing the same thing. Paul says, “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” At first glance it seems as if Paul has gotten off topic when actually he is giving the reader a warning. Before he starts talking about the new freedom believers have concerning food sacrificed to idols, he is warning them to put love before knowledge.

Tomorrow’s devotion is going to talk about what that freedom is; today I want to focus on the warning. As Christians we have a lot of knowledge; knowledge of God, of forgiveness, of heaven but if we use that knowledge and only think of ourselves we have missed the point.

Just like if, as a teenager, I would have gotten my driver’s license and forgotten about all the other drivers on the road. We as Christians do a lot of damage when we receive Christ and then just go about our day.

Read today's passage at Biblegateway 1 Corinthians 8:1-6