1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)
Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 12Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. Verse 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Verse 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; Verse 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; Verse 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. Verse 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Verse 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, Verse 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, Verse 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Verse 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Devotion
Dr. Harry Wentz at Crossways, an organization which promotes Bible study, refers to the Holy Spirit as the “shy member of the Trinity.” I like that. The work of the Holy Spirit is to point us to God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit doesn’t seek to stand out. Rather, the Spirit directs us always in faith to the Father and Son.
The Holy Spirit may be shy, but the Spirit is also active. It is the work of the Spirit to “call, gather, enlighten and sanctify the whole Christian Church.” It is the work of the Spirit to lead each of us into a deeper life of faith.
Is the Spirit active in our lives? Of course. As Paul so beautifully and simply points out in today’s text, when we proclaim that Jesus is Lord, we do so only by the power of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of the living God that is active among us and guiding our faith.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, empower us for lives of faith. Amen.