20JAN2019 | It's About the Giver, Not the Gift

ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED SOURCES OF HATEFUL BEHAVIOR is how we look at the roles each of us plays in life, and how we look at the roles others play in life.

One of the major reasons we deal with such strong negative emotions that manifest themselves in hateful actions and attitudes is we miss one of the most fundamental beliefs that Christians hold - the role of God in making us who we are because of whose we are.

In the first verses found in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians, we discover the source of all the varieties of gifts that exist in humanity - the Holy Spirit. Today, we dive into these verses to discover that it is not by our work nor our merit that we have been given our specific resources and abilities, but the grace of God alone at work by the love of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Why does this matter? Well, here are a few reasons:

When we accept that our gifts, graces, and abilities come as the result of God's grace and not our self-importance, it gives us the humility required to live a truly faithful and obedient Christian life;

When we accept that others' gifts, graces, and abilities come as the result of God's grace and nothing else, it gives us the grace required to appreciate that God works in others just as in us, and allows us to see not others, but God working through others; and,

When we accept these truths it frees us from feelings of fear and self-loathing because we embrace the reality that God loves us and has given us a specific set of gifts to use for God's glory, and the freedom to live not by the world's standards but the grace of God alone.