For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 (KJV)
Do you like to recieve gifts? I absolutely love receiving gifts. There is nothing quite like a wrapped box with a bow on top. However, one of the worst things is getting a gift you don’t particularly want. My uncle Steve used to give me socks on special occasions. Birthdays: socks. Christmas: socks. Middle school graduation: socks. At 11 years old you don’t really have the decency to just politely accept them, so I would always ask where the real gift was. Receiving socks is one side of the spectrum, but have you ever received a gift so good you were humbled and you didn’t feel worthy of accepting it?
We should see the gifts of the Spirit as some such gifts. The gifts of the Spirit have threefold benefits: they bless you, they bless others, and they always point to Jesus. The interesting thing about gifts is that they’re freely given. However, it’s also just as important to actually receive them. It's one thing to have a gift given to you, but it's another to open the gift and actually receive it. To receive the gifts of the Spirit, you must have a worldview that’s based on how God sees the world. Otherwise, these gifts are weird and just over our heads. That doesn’t mean we have to walk around like aliens, it just requires that we spend time studying our bibles and consider these gifts that are laid out in this passage in 1 Corinthians.
These gifts of the Spirit are words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, diverse languages and the interpretation of those languages. All of these nine gifts are for you, now. Not as you graduate bible school, or read the Bible nineteen times. These gifts have been given freely and are available to you as you discover them in the Word of God.
