3. HABIT OF DESIRING

<Spiritual Gifts>

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ASK TOO MUCH OF GOD?

When I was a kid, I wanted a dog. My mother did not. So I had a problem.

I wasn’t sure if a dog was worthy of prayer. So I turned to Walt Disney. I wished on the first star I saw every night. I said it loud enough so mother could hear, “I wish for a dog!”

My ploy flopped.

So I tried prayer. In just weeks a black cocker spaniel became a part of our family.

My mom explained that one verse in her Bible reading changed her thinking:

“’If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’” Luke 11:13

I learned that if my mother would give me a dog, then God the Father had even more to give. God wants me to desire his spiritual gifts.

There are 19 spiritual gifts listed in today’s Bible readings. Which gifts do you desire?

READ 1 Corinthians 12

WRITE your SOAP journal first, and share with a friend.

DO YOU KNOW HOW GIFTED YOU ARE?

When you put faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit gave you gifts. A spiritual gift enables you to do what is humanly impossible: to reveal Jesus to others through you.

Your Father wants you to ask him for more gifts of his Spirit. Here are six discoveries we make when we ask for spiritual gifts.


1. YOU ARE GIFTED. 
Do you think you have no talent? That’s incorrect. A spiritual gift isn’t about what skills you bring but what God gives you by the Holy Spirit. 


Just listen to what Jesus said,

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” Matthew 10:1

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...” Matthew 28:18-19

2. YOUR GIFT INDICATES YOUR SERVE.
Sometimes we get the wrong notion that what we don’t like to do is what God wants us to do. That’s often incorrect. With the spiritual gifts, what we like to do is most likely what God gifted us to do.

3. YOU DISCOVER YOUR GIFTS BY TRYING THEM OUT. 
To discover if you have the gift of teaching, you should teach. To see if you have the gift of helps, you should serve. To discover if you have the gift of tongues, you should speak. To find your gifts you need to jump into the game.


4. YOUR GIFTS WILL BE SEEN BY OTHERS. 
The local church is like a mirror that reflects what we are made to be. What others thank you for, encourage you in, or seek from you, is often a sign of your gift in the Holy Spirit. 

5. YOUR GIFTS BELONG TO THE CHURCH. 
Spiritual gifts are given to us, but they belong to others for the common good. That is why others can call upon us to serve (see 1 Corinthians 12:7).

6. YOU CAN ASK FOR MORE. 
We are to “eagerly desire the spiritual gifts” (see 1 Corinthians 14:1). Think of a list of the Holy Spirit’s gifts like an online shopping gallery of options. Which gifts do you desire? Ask the Father for them!

Here are the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the order that they appear in Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:7-13, and 1 Peter 4:10,11:

PROPHECY, HELPS, TEACHING, ENCOURAGEMENT, GIVING, ADMINISTRATION, MERCY, WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, FAITH, HEALING, MIRACLES, DISCERNMENT, TONGUES, INTERPRETATION, APOSTOLIC, EVANGELISM, PASTOR, HOSPITALITY

Which gifts describe you best?

What gifts do others see in you?

What gifts do you desire?

VERSE OF THE WEEK

"...Eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit." 1 Corinthians 14:1

PRAYER

Father, I want to reveal Jesus better, and have more to give to others. I desire the spiritual gift of ____________________. Amen.

FOR MORE INFORMATION