Food for ThoughtEphesians 4:7-13 Gifts
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Ephesians 4:7-13

7. But i to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

8. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."

As gifts make their way among family and friends this Christmas,  I am reminded of the many gifts given to us each day as our Father’s children.    We all know the greatest gift of all is our Lord and Savior Jesus.   He is the ultimate gift and had there been nothing else given to us it would have been abundantly more than we could ever imagine, but God chose to inundate us extravagantly.    He has handed out to each one of us gifts that both glorify Him and bless others.

These gifts, when used according to God’s wisdom, free those who are in bondage to the oppressions that have imprisoned their soul.  

God purposely gave us these gifts so that we can be His vessels of light, love and healing who build up the body of Christ. These gifts are spiritual in nature and touch all realms.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

8. for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,

9. to another faith by the same Spirit, to another  gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

10. to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

All of our gifts were given for the benefit of others.  We are to use them according to God’s wishes and purpose for them. These gifts must be shared with others in the body of Christ so that it brings about the fullness of God’s plan.   Each of us have a specific and important role that enhances the gifts and purposes of others and keeps us focused on one goal;  to uplift the body of Christ.

We are on this earth together to accomplish the tasks at hand.  None of us is more or less than the other and none holds a gift grander than other gifts.   We are the same.

Romans 12:3-8

3. For I say,  through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you,  not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,

5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us l prophesy in proportion to our faith;

7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;

8.  he who exhorts, in exhortation;  he who gives, with liberality;  he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Challenge:  Ask God to show you the gifts He has given you and how and where to use them.  Use your gift well.

God bless

Marni

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lamb-rightThe purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.