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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, January 18, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subjecta:Spiritual Gifts [2] Bible Verse:1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (ESV) "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. " Message:
Some people treat the Holy Spirit like an unattractive relative. They know he exists and must be invited to family events, but they try to ignore him, our of embarrassment, as much as possible. Primarily this occurs when people with quiet, more dignified personalities associate the Spirit with loud, florid outbursts of speaking in tongues or falling on the floor, the practices of some Pentecostalist congregations.
But Paul solves this (and other) puzzles for us, in today’s Scriptural passage. We do not, and we are not intended to, experience or even appreciate all manifestations of the Spirit. They come from the same God, but they are different in every person.
Some people find the Spirit sitting alone in a quiet room; some in a quiet church service; some in their workplace, in a classroom, in nature; some in a raucous revival. We must know that this is the same Spirit, and even if we do not relate to the expression of faith, understand and sympathize with others who are not like us; for it is the One God who is present, the same Holy Spirit who we know in our way.
The gifts we are given with which we may serve God are also different, as different as the people in which they occur. This is easy to see in the ministry. We have all known a priest or minister who was wonderful at dealing with the sick and bereaved, but whose attempts to give a sermon are agonizing. There are revivalists who can inspire us to heights of faith, and yet, they are helpless to explain theology. Some Christians can work at a charity for the poor, dealing directly with downtrodden people, but cannot lead a Sunday School class.
We must use the gifts we have, not bemoan the ones we do not, or feel envy or even defensiveness or repulsion, at those with other gifts. God’s view is the one that counts, and it may be quite different from ours. He may value the janitor sweeping the floor of a homeless shelter with dedication and love, practically unnoticed by everyone else, while a bishop sitting in his chair may have a troubled spirit.
We must do the best we can with what we are given, and God will judge us by our hearts and spirit, not by our earthly status.
Meditation : Prayer : Finally, let me go forth in thanks for the victory I have been given through our Lord Jesus Christ. May I be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and always remembering that in the Lord our labor is not in vain......Amen. |
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