The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Part 4
Memory Passage
because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,
"Abba, Father."
Romans 8:14-15
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12
Please refer to your Bible.
Insights
"Richard Lovelace writes that for too many years, in fact for centuries now, we
have been misled into thinking of our personal Christian experience as if we
were deep-sea divers. We can look around and see each other but we each
have a hose connected to an air supply and we don't need each other. We see
ourselves as self-contained systems cut off from those who are diving with us.
As long as we invite Jesus into our heart as our own personal savior and as long
as we read the Bible and pray and do the other personal spiritual disciplines
then we will grow strong spiritually. But according to the Bible the grace of God
is conveyed not only along vertical lines from God to us but also conveyed along
horizontal lines from God through each to the other. Christians who don't
understand that and live in spiritual isolation from each other will not grow
strong but will continue as anemic and weak in their Christian lives." -Richard
Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life
Consider this!
The cross of Christ is a vertical beam with a horizontal beam that represents
the vertical relational connection with God and the horizontal relational
connection with others. The great command to love God is followed by Christ's
statement that there is a second exactly like the first one; that is, that we are to
love others. All of this is accomplished by the Spirit of Christ who dwells in us;
"Christ in us the hope of glory." Let us consecrate ourselves unto Christ and, by
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, love God and one another and thus fulfill
the commands of God.
Personal Reflection
- Isolation is an enemy of the work of God. We need each other in order to
accomplish the mission God has given us. Do you embrace the thought of
community, or does interaction with others seem difficult for you? Write down
your thoughts.
- As you think about community and your ability to get involved, how is the Holy
Spirit prompting you? Are you confirmed in your participation, or are you moved
to deeper involvement? Pray for the Spirit to reveal these things to you.
- In our world of high demands, how do you find energy to invest in the work of
God? What priority do you give to using your gifts for the edification of the
church?
- Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gifts He has given you and pray for
continued vision for opportunities that will enable you to use your gifts for the
kingdom.
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