The Gift of the Spirit (2)
Romans 12:3-8 (RSV) For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
It is in the spirit of God’s grace that we use the gifts of the Spirit. This implies that the gifts of the Spirit can be used outside of God’s grace....and the fruit of this effort will be like weeds sown in the field, or like sand which is easily washed away. Many of us have taken a “fruits of the Spirit” course where you answer a number of questions and your answers are compiled to give you some indication of what your gifting is. This can be helpful but also harmful. Why? Knowing where God tends to use you is helpful in giving you assurance and confidence, but it can be harmful if you rely upon your knowledge of your gifts so you just go ahead and use them without the guidance of the Spirit. Self-reliance on using your gifts is harmful and not helpful to God’s Kingdom. It is the Spirit which makes the difference, not the gifts.
Give me an example, Lord. You have given me the gift of strategic planning and initiating programs, Lord. I have done it throughout my life. Some of them have failed, Lord, others have succeeded but gone astray from Your direction, and others have succeeded and continue on carrying Your message. What makes the difference between these programs/projects, Lord? They have all used the gifting You gave me and I have endeavoured to follow You throughout my life. You seem to keep telling me that the difference is in my reliance and dependence upon Your grace, not the dependence and reliance upon my abilities or gifting. Or, if I use Paul’s words found in 1 Corinthians, it is my daily listening to the voice of Your Spirit and following Your Spirit’s promptings in step by step development of Your program/project, not my perception of what needs to be done.
If I think about two hospices developed under my guidance, one remains functional and true to spiritual guidance whereas the other had the trappings of spiritual care only to be destroyed when it’s leadership started promoting physician killing and it no longer exists. I ask myself, “Was I too reliant on my own talents and abilities in the development of this hospice as opposed to being reliant on You and the leadings of Your Spirit?”
Or I think about the growth of the newly planted church in West Africa where I felt so out of my depth on next steps I had to depend more upon You. The result after just three years of guidance left Spirit-filled leaders who have seen gigantic growth in the church. Where we left with only a few dozen churches established, it has grown to over 1500 churches and added new countries over the years since. That is truly a miracle of God’s grace. That is using Your gifting under the guidance of Your Spirit.
Your gifts to me are not for me to use independent of Your guiding Spirit, but under the guidance of Your Spirit. If it is not continual reliance upon Your Spirit, the outcome produces only weeds or worse. Forgive me, Lord for my lack of reliance upon Your Guidance. My nourishment from You needs to come daily as I seek to hear and learn from You. Thank You for Your unfathomable grace towards me as I reflect upon my life and it’s fruits. Some fruit is not much more than weeds and needs the mercy and forgiveness Your grace. Other fruit is growing and reproducing with life and fervour and it is only because of Your amazing grace that it is happening and You allowed me, a mere man, to participate in it...