I was reading 1 Corinthians 12 this week and it starts off with a section talking about spiritual gifts. One line caught my attention especially: verse 7, which in the ESV says, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." I looked this up in the Easy-to-Read Version and it says:
Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person.
The Spirit gives this to each one to help others.
It goes on to list all kinds of gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to people in the interest of the common good. I love this way of saying it though - something from the Holy Spirit can be seen in YOU. But it's not just for your own good, it’s meant to make you a blessing and a help to others. So what is it? What has the Spirit given to you?
It’s like putting money in a savings account. You expect that with time, that deposit will grow. We know that interest rates fluctuate - sometimes they are higher and sometimes they are very low, but I’ve never seen a NEGATIVE interest rate, have you? No, we make a deposit in the bank and we expect a greater return on our investment. So what DEPOSIT has the Spirit made in the bank of your life so that He would see a greater return? What has He given you that you can give others? It says he has - TO EACH IS GIVEN…
There are some center-stage gifts listed here like healing, prophecy, and miracles but there are also behind-the-stage gifts like wisdom, discernment, and faith. Do you know that your faith can inspire faith in others? That’s an example of return-on-investment. If you don’t know what God has placed in you for you to share with others, ask Him to show you. Ask him to teach you how to help others with whatever gift He’s given you.