Morning Musings-Spirit Gifts

 


   Morning Musings With the Boys At Breakfast...



 
BINGO!  "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1).  I really like this verse as it sums up the previous two chapters so succinctly.  The various spiritual gifts given to the various believers in Chapter 12 and then LOVE the best gift to be used liberally to cover over all the other gifts.  On top of all that Paul says to especially desire the "gift of prophecy" which would, again, work best smothered in, and operating from, love; God's love, that is.

Many Christians imply that speaking in tongues is the most desirable gift and if you don't have this you may well not really be a Christian.  That kind of thinking negates what's said in chapter 12 about different people getting different gifts.  Not everyone will have the gift of tongues but all should have love coupled with whatever gift one does have.


These gifts were given to the believer to be used for the good and benefit of helping to build up and edify the other brothers and sisters in the Church.  And when we pray we need to pray with the Spirit and pray with the mind.  Similarly we need to sing with the Spirit and sing with the mind.  Not mindless but full of the Spirit and of the renewed mind; this, rather than with supposed tongues.


If you look at Chapter 14:22 (Corinthians) you'll see that tongues are for sharing the message of Jesus with unbelievers; those who don't yet know Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Look at the book of Acts (esp Chap 2) at the astonishing time of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first came to indwell the believers.  Uneducated men and women could suddenly speak in the tongues (languages) of those merchants and of whoever had come from far and near to trade and/or live in the area.  These 'foreigners" could then suddenly hear the message of Jesus in their own respective languages.  What a marvelously astounding time!

Paul concludes Chap 14 though that both gifts can and should be used in an appropriate way.  

Lord, whatever gifts you've given us help us to use them and use them in love and in an appropriate  manner for the edifying of your children in the church.  Amen.

                           ~ERC 2015~

P.S.  Anyone reading this may feel free to comment constructively.  TQ.

Morning Musings-The Love Chapter

                                  

 



  Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...


                                                                                              
 Most people know the "love chapter" is considered to be 1 Corinthians 13.  In this chapter God's love is described and is that type of love which we, all followers of Jesus Christ, need to have and use in all we do.  It's the type of love that "oils" all our relationships, so lubricate liberally with it by God's grace.

Get that glimpse of God's love.  How He was/is always reaching out to mankind.  From the Garden of Eden where He came down to walk there and to spend time with Adam and Eve, communing with them; to the Israelites roaming through the wilderness all the way from Egypt to Canaan:  God being in their midst the whole time in the pillar of cloud and fire, in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple; residing in various Old Testament individuals temporarily so they could complete specialized tasks; to King Saul once being indwelt by the Holy Spirit yet due to Saul's disobedience, the Spirit had to leave...God was really trying His best to get His love message across.

King David was also indwelt by the Holy Spirit and he must have remembered what had happened to King Saul and at one point begged and pleaded with God not to remove the Holy Spirit from him when he had committed some terrible sins (Psalm 51:11).  David valued God's presence within him.

There were four hundred silent years between the Old Testament and the New Testament where there appeared to be no interest from God towards His human beings.  This must have been a painful time on God's part, so to speak--heartbroken over His people who hadn't much interest in Him.

God does go on to prove His love to human kind by sending Jesus to earth.  Jesus death and resurrection and taking that punishment for the sins of earth's people was God's way of speaking loudly and clearly.  Furthermore when Jesus went back to Heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to live in His children permanently while they (we) reside on Earth.  He went to great lengths so He could establish and maintain (if we so choose), that relationship of communion with Him.  He wants us.  Let us delight ourselves in Him and His presence and His love.

Speaking of this love we are to extend it to our fellow human beings. In 1 John 4:7-11, God the Source of love shows and gives His love, and we ought to love one another.  When we do this, His love is made complete in us.  Don't keep His love to yourself.

This love can make us kinder, gentler, more good.  We can show greater grace to others, through the Holy Spirit's help as we learn to be more patient, kind, to show no envy, not to boast, not to be proud, not to be rude or self-seeking, not to be easily angered, not to keep records of wrongs, not to delight in evil, to rejoice in the truth, to protect, to always trust, hope and persevere, and to never fail.  God's kind of love is the greatest thing.

                                                              ~ERC 2015~

P.S. Do feel free to comment constructively.  TQ.

Morning Musings-Hello Beautiful!

Morning musings with the boys at breakfast...

Hello Beautiful! 

Aren't you something!!  Yes, really!  But not due to what you might think.   Now what could that be!?  Hmmm.  Well, guess what!?  True beauty is not necessarily from the outward appearance as we are reminded in Proverbs 31:30..."Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.

Match and compare that to 1 Peter 3:4, 5.  There is unfading beauty to be had; isn't that splendid!!?  I'll take it!  How about you?  That "gentle and quiet spirit" from the inner self bespoken through the power of the Holy Spirit's being allowed to work in our lives.  Those of us who are married can also work on our beauty by being, ahem...there's that word that gets folks in a dither...submissiveness, to our own husband.  Again, these verses remind us that the fear of the Lord also brings about this desirable beauty.  When we fear the Lord we are able to submit and let the Holy Spirit do His work in the character and conduct of our lives.  Instead of a vicious cycle we will have a cycle of beauty:  fear the Lord > submit to Him and our husband (if we have one) > gentle and quiet spirit > beauty radiating from our countenance > fear the Lord some more.... Beauty from God guaranteed!   Awesome!


                                                          ~ERC  2015~