desiring spiritual gifts

“But eagerly desire the greater spiritual gifts”

1 Corinth 12:31

“Follow the way of love but eagerly desire the spiritual gifts”

1 Corinth 14:1

 I just want to encourage you and remind you about the importance of pursuing the spiritual gifts after teaching on them a few months ago. Its been encouraging to see the functioning of the words of knowledge every Sun and also tongues and interpretation occasionally but we need to keep pursuing all of the 9 gifts.

The Holy Spirit has come and so all the gifts are available and so if they are not functioning its not on Gods end. Its usually our own unbelief, lack of desire of pursuing them or ignorance. The reason God has given them is to build up and encourage and strengthen the church. They are also a sign God is in our midst.

The HS is grieved when we don’t pursue them because they are freely given. Let’s deliberately begin to desire and seek God to use us in this area as He freely wants to distribute them among us. We have no excuses. They are the evidence of God’s grace amongst us. Actually, Paul taught that we must have the 9 gifts of the HS in order to bring the church into spiritual maturity. What a challenge for us.   He commands us to desire or pursue the gifts just like pursing love. Its not one or the other its both.  Every single one of us without exception has received a grace given gift. Embrace what God has placed inside you. Take ownership and do your best to cultivate in and function in it and use them to meet the needs of others. The gifts are not for you but are to bless others and meet their needs.

Desire means to be fervently looking with zealousness for the object desired. Intense desire that causes one to seek something until it is obtained. Intense longing and boiling zealousness. Is that you. Let’s not grieve the Holy Spirit by our apathy and lack of desire or indifference until it becomes sin. We have no excuses. Come with expectency as we meet together that the gifts will function through us. We all should be coming on sun especially, with an expectency of what God wants to do in our midst.