Spiritual Gifts

John Osborne

What is your favorite food to eat? It may be unique to you or it may be common. Do you have a specific restaurant that you prefer above others? Have you gone out on a special occasion to that restaurant or to eat that particular food? Of course! All of us have. We will come back to this discussion.

Have you ever been deeply challenged by a sermon? One that causes you to not just hear the words and respond in the gathering itself, but go home and be further challenged?

That is what happened to me this past Sunday. I have been challenged by a verse that was not even brought up in the sermon, but definitely correlates to all that was spoken about on Sunday.

The verse is 1 Corinthians 14:1 where Paul writes these words, “Follow the way of love and (emphasis added) eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” True to what was mentioned in the sermon, the Holy Spirit is everywhere in scripture and this verse is no exception. Of course, this verse follows Paul’s emphasis on love in the previous chapter, but then he follows it up with this directive. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also (emphasis added) desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.”

What really jumped out at me is the need to love AND eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit. While I have read that verse numerous times, it probably hasn’t struck me with the same emphasis until after Sunday. There has to be some desire on my part, and on your part for that matter, for the gifts of the Spirit. We need to have more than just an interest, but also a longing and a desire for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be in operation in our lives.

Paul would go on to write about some of these gifts in the verses that follow verse one of chapter 14, and he gave a list of some of the spiritual gifts in chapter 12 as well. The list of the gifts is not exhaustive, yet they need to be desired.

Let’s go back to your favorite food or restaurant. Think about it for a moment. Maybe even salivate. I really like both Chinese and Mexican food. In fact, I am not sure which one I prefer over the other. I do know, however, that when I am hungry I make plans to find some food. I do not allow my desire for food to be unsatisfied. Now let’s again think of spiritual gifts. Let us not be content simply living in love. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us in the gifts that He has for us.

“Follow the way of love and (emphasis added) eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1