1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)
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Chapter 12Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. Verse 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Verse 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; Verse 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; Verse 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. Verse 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Verse 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, Verse 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, Verse 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Verse 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Devotion
The scripture readings for this week share a common theme. They all talk about the presence of God in some way or another. As people who are both "of faith" and "with questions," we often look for signs from God to help us understand and to give us a sense that God is with us. An important aspect of the Apostle Paul's familiar counsel about the gifts of the Spirit is its reminder that God is with us in visible ways.
Maybe some us of are too modest to admit that we've been given gifts of wisdom, discernment or knowledge. Maybe some of us have never experienced gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy or miracles. Yet, how many of us can proclaim that Jesus is Lord? Paul tells us that the only way we can proclaim those words is by the power of God’s spirit in us. God is present in our proclamation. And in that proclamation we can experience the presence of God in our lives in a very real way—through our boldness and courage to let others know that God is with us and for us.
Prayer
God, thank you for the gift of your spirit, empowering and enabling me to proclaim you as Lord. Amen.