The Right Attitude to Be Used in the Gifts
Previously, we talked about how we can be used by the gifts of the Spirit. Here, in this concluding message, we finish by talking about the right attitude to be used and to operate with the gifts of the Spirit.
There is a list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. The first on the list is love, and to operate in the gifts, we must operate with this fruit of the Spirit, love.
Look at what the last part of verse 1 Corinthians 12:31 says, “Now I will show you a more excellent way.” (NIV) So what is this more excellent way? Well, the answer is in the next chapter, which is 1 Corinthians 13. It is known as the chapter on love and shows us what God’s love is like. The interesting thing is that this chapter is found between 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, which are the two chapters that talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. So, this more excellent way is love, and we must have
this love if we are to be used by God with the gifts of the Spirit. Look at what 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 says: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (NIV) This tells us that if we operate in the gifts and do not have love, we are nothing even when manifesting these gifts.
This is something dangerous for us. That is, we can be used in the gifts and not have our hearts right toward God. Maybe because of this there is a very strong warning in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (NIV) This is serious. Sometimes we think God is using us, so we are okay even if we are living in sin or pride. If you want to be used in the gifts, you must seek forgiveness if necessary and have love and humility.
Without a doubt, God wants to use us for His gifts, but it is always up to us to have the right attitude and a clean heart.
The good thing is that this love and holiness and humility flow from the Holy Spirit who is already within us when we surrender our lives to Christ.
To sumarize, if we want to be used by the Spirit in the gifts, we must first have the fruit of love in our lives. We must also have a pure and clean heart. We must also have humility. The right and good attitude in all of this is that with these things we will glorify God and help His people. In other words, we will serve God and others by being used with the gifts.
How wonderful that we have the precious Holy Spirit within us. He is our comforter and helper in everything. It has been a blessing for me to be able to teach you a little about the Holy Spirit, and I hope that you have grown in your faith and knowledge through these 14 teachings.
What we need, we can receive through the Holy Spirit today. We can always ask for and seek a new, fresh, and deeper touch from the Spirit that not only helps us but also helps and blesses those around us. Let us pray that the Spirit will renew us today.