The Gift God Has Placed In You

^{by Emeka Maddy}

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I want to talk to you about something important, it’s something that you receive at least once a year, Some people get more than others; it can only be given and never taken away. Do you know what it is yet? It’s a Gift.
We give gifts..
We as people tend to give gifts on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, dinner parties, but WHY? Some would say because it’s customary. (Because you’re supposed to do it or it nice).
Underlying this custom, we find the true purpose for gift giving and that’s to evoke feelings of appreciation, respect and love. We give people gifts to show them that we are grateful for them and value the role they play in our lives.
..and God gives gifts
This is precisely how God treats us; he showers us with gifts, not for what we do but who we are in relation to Him.
Our relationship with God and gifts mirrors what you’ll find between a healthy mother feeding her newborn. The helpless baby knows it will get what it needs because of the bond it has with its mother.
We know the psychology of gift giving but what does the Bible tell us about gifts?
Quite a lot to be honest there are over 20 references about gifts throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Things like: We know God gives good gifts in Matthew 7:11, and children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3).
I can summarise by saying: We know that gifts are something that you either give or receive by man (offering) or God.
The type of gifts we receive
The Bible tells us that the gift of God is eternal life (salvation) in Christ Jesus is a gift (Rm6:23), that the Holy Spirit is a gift (Act 10:45)...
But did you know that "Each person has his own gift from God" (1 Corinthian 7:7).
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Today we are going to focus on two that caused quite a stir in the Corinthian church and for us today.
If you have a Bible turn to 1 Corinthians 12, we’ll start here and skip down 14 as it’s a long passage.

Corinthians 12:1-4
Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore, I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

The good news is that this message from Paul (Apostle) addressing spiritual gifts is for People like you and I, as he’s addressing the Corinthians (non Jews). They were now considered as part of the people of God and so should we.
It’s key for us to understand that we are under God's covering because we are his people hence, we get access to these spiritual gifts that we will look at shortly.
If you ever had concerns about spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues, then you are not the only one. The Corinthians also struggled with how it should be used. This is due to their background (unchurched) and experiences with Pagan worship services (enthusiastic in nature).
Paul reassures them and us that nobody speaking in the Spirit is dis­respecting God. The reality is that no one can say Jesus Christ is Lord without help from the Spirit. This is a reminder that anyone who genuinely has faith in Jesus, has the Holy Spirit in them, so no one is excluded, as we all have valuable gifts given to us for the benefit of the church.
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Paul encourages us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts. This is interesting given that -for example- the Corinthians were misusing tongues, you’d think he would stop all activity in this area. He doesn’t dissuade them at all but exactly the opposite (explore all gifts). Because he’s convinced, they are God given and for the benefit of the church.
(if it’s good enough for Paul, can that be enough for you?)
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