May 8

The words of I Corinthians 12:8-11 make it easy to be humble. It’s as though the Lord knew we would be inclined toward self-aggrandizement that is meritless at its heart and futile at its end and He endeavored through this passage to spare us from the emptiness of its disappointment.

Here Paul reminds the Corinthians of a truth that stands today. “All these gifts (wisdom, healing, knowledge, faith, prophecy, working of miracles, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues) are given by the Holy Spirit and are apportioned to each person as He wills.”

So what is established through these passages is two-fold. First, the things that man holds in high esteem—wealth, power, fame—are valueless in the eyes of God, and second, the things that God values are gifts that He bestows upon whom He chooses! It is He who is the first cause, for it is He from whom everything of eternal value emanates.

When our focus is on Jesus, when our energy is employed in serving Him and His Kingdom’s purposes, when we are sharing His truth according to the Great Commission, He will send His Spirit to endue us with the gifts that empower our efforts! Rather than be haughty in ourselves, we will be humbled that He who dwells in eternity has deigned to use us to His glory.