July 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Most of us like to receive presents and gifts. Children and adults look forward to the gifts they receive on a birthday or other special occasion. Gifts are appreciated at weddings, showers, anniversaries etc. We might say, “You didn’t have to do that!” Nevertheless, we do like it when someone thinks we are special.

As people of God we are special to Him and therefore He provides us with many gifts. Already before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to give His church the gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift arrived on the day of Pentecost. Filled with the Holy Spirit the people began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Spirit of God affects the thinking and speaking of those He touches so that they begin to confess the mighty acts of God.

With the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit a number of spiritual gifts come to light in the congregation of Christ. The Gift gives gifts! The presents we receive are sometimes useless or valueless so that we end up giving them away. The gifts the Spirit gives are not like that. They are practical in nature and can be used for the edification and growth of the church of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul deals with this quite extensively in his first letter to the church at Corinth. Three chapters (12–14) are devoted to the work and the gifts of the Spirit. In chapter 14, Paul focuses on the Spirit’s goal in giving gifts to the church. His conclusion is that the ultimate criterion for a gift of the Spirit is that it must edify the church. It must help the children of the Lord as they work together in love and unity. Within this context the apostle makes several remarks about the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of prophecy. He admonishes the Corinthians to use these gifts in line with the purpose for which the Spirit gave them. The same holds true today. Every gift we have received, as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, must be used for the edification of the church of Christ. Let us excel in using gifts that build the church.