As we continue looking at the Holy Spirit and the gifts He gives this week, what gift or gifts have you been blessed with? If you are curious, there are a variety of test you can take. However, I recommend you talk with your pastor or spiritual leader for guidance regarding which one you use.
God’s Holy Spirit has been at work in this world from the very beginning. We see in Genesis 1:2 “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” He was there at the very creation of the world. He worked through Israel’s leaders and prophets throughout the Old Testament.
As we move into the New Testament, we see the Spirit come over Mary to impregnate her with the embryo of Jesus (Luke 1:35). He filled Elizabeth and the unborn John when Mary arrived at their home (Luke 1:15, 41). He descended on Jesus when He was baptized by John like a dove (john 3:21-22). Jesus was filled with the Spirit and was led into the wilderness for forty days (John 4:1-2).
At Pentecost, the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. On that day, they were gifted with the ability to speak in different tongues. This was just the beginning of the spread of the good news about Jesus and the salvation God was offering the entire world. People from many nations heard the Apostles speaking in their own language and marveled at both the language used by the Apostles and the message they spoke.
We are gifted by the Holy Spirit. He gifts each of us as He desires. We may wonder how He decides what gift to give each one of us. He decides based on how He sees our lives unfolding and God using us to fulfill His plan. Each of us have a part to play and the Holy Spirit provides us with the gifts we need to be successful. Our part? To recognize the gift we have been given and use it where God has placed us.
I pray we all seek to recognize the gift the Holy Spirit has given us. I pray we seek to fulfill God’s plan for our lives. I pray each one of us use our gift to enlarge the body of Christ. Discover your gift from the Holy Spirit. Use your gift to fulfill God’s plan. Use your gift to serve others. Use your gift to expand the body of Christ.
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Marty Pressey 