Use your Gifts in a Spirit of Love
“If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 WEB)
The Corinthian church liked to show off their gift of praying in tongues in a chaotic manner. They spoke it loudly during worship and the sharing of the word, causing such disruption that Paul had to teach them to do everything orderly in congregational worship. The problem was not just limited to that. They liked to compare and boast about who had a better spiritual gift.
Probably one person who could pray in tongues liked to say how he was greater or more loved by God than other members who could not do it. Then the other would retort saying that he had another better spiritual gift than praying in tongues. These squabbles would lead to factions being formed, people with the same kind of gifts grouping together and disliking those who had different gifts from them.
That is why Paul had to use the analogy of the foot and the hand saying that they don’t need each other being a ridiculous idea. He had to teach them proper decorum on how to minister in their gifts the right way. Paul had to teach them how the body of Christ is meant to be united as one, working together, and built up in love.
“For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body. If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now they are many members, but one body. The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26 WEB)
Comparison and divisiveness are toxic. Everything ought to be done in love, if not, it is easy for pride to come in and ruin everything. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
It is not so much about their gifts not working or profiting them when they don’t do it in the right spirit. Yes, they may lose out on heavenly rewards because God weighs the heart, but spiritual gifts will always work because they operate by grace—not based on how worthy the person is by works. It is more about how it is pointless when done boastfully because God gave them the gifts to be used in love—not to compare, boast, or inflate their egos. God’s spiritual gifts are not party tricks to impress men with.
Use your gifts in a spirit of love, to build people up by demonstrating the love of God. Recognize that every believer has a different set of gifts, unique for his or her calling. Yes, you have a gift! God designed this diversity so that we would all need each other, and minister to one another. Just like that, we will build up the body of Christ in love. This is the right way that glorifies God!
God has equipped you with powerful gifts to fulfill your calling. Do you know what your gifts and calling are? Do you know what are eternal rewards and how you can maximize them, especially seeing as Jesus’ return is so close, right at the doors? “Sandcastles Don’t Last Forever” is a book that this end time generation needs to read. Redeem your time wisely and receive the best eternal rewards: http://bit.ly/sandcastlesdontlastforever
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