A More Excellent Way

Paul exhorted the believers in Corinth to walk in the way of God's love and to desire spiritual gifts.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit and bearing good spiritual fruit is paramount for a Christian, and the greatest of these is love.  He asked in 1 Corinthians 12:29-31:  "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."  While God has comprised the church of people who serve in a variety of roles and have spiritual gifts that differ from one another, God's love is what ought to govern us always.

Paul told Christians to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts, and in saying this he is not pitting gifts God gives against one another in a sort of competition.  Even as we learn to choose to use the right tool for the job, the best gifts are those divinely suited for an occasion as He leads.  The operation of spiritual gifts prompt us to trust God and throw ourselves upon His mercy to help us use them wisely and appropriately.  It is likely one reason why Paul urged Christians to earnestly desire spiritual gifts is because they were not sure where a gift from God began or ended; gifts did not appear as apples or oranges that could be plucked from a tree.  Perhaps it seemed presumptuous to desire a spiritual gift because they were not clearly defined, browsed like wares at a market or exchanged for currency we possess.  When it comes to eating new foods, I often defer to people who have knowledge of that cuisine and what seems most appealing to me.

What we see and experience creates a predicament when it comes to spiritual gifts because under the guise of spirituality and usefulness we can desire spiritual gifts for fleshly reasons, for personal validation and status rather than the glory of Jesus and the edification of the church.  One gift may appeal to one person more than another, yet we ought to come to God willing to receive and operate in gifts that is not our personal preference--like when we attend a catered meal and the food is presented before us without us having a choice--and there is not trading allowed.  Even before we ever received a spiritual gift we may have been like Samwise Gamgee in the The Lord of the Rings who was not impressed or grateful with the Elven rope Lady Galadriel handed to him because the nice, shiny daggers Merry and Pippin received looked better.  It is good for us to make our requests known to God concerning particular gifts, yet we ought to rejoice in every gift of God He graciously and sovereignly gives us--even those not on our wish list.

God's wisdom is shown in our praying in faith to receive a gift as well as exercising faith to operate in it.  For a myriad of reasons I have observed people not respond well to spiritual gifts even when they were used "decently and in order" as Paul exhorted in 1 Corinthians 14.  The flesh loves to shine, to be seen to do well and be admired, but I have found spiritual gifts bring a sober caution and careful examination of the heart can require prompting from the LORD to step out in faith and obedience.  Using a spiritual gift has resulted in relationships abruptly ending and people leaving the church, yet God has given gifts for us to use as He leads.  The prophet Jeremiah spoke the word of the LORD that was rejected by God's people:  isn't it likely people can still be offended when the Holy Spirit moves today in a way that is not their way?  How important it is for Christians to walk in unity with Jesus Christ and one another as we are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do God's will, for then our relationships with one another can be deepened rather than divided over different gifts God gives.  If we ever make gifts our focus, we can easily lose sight of the Giver.

Before I ever asked for any spiritual gifts or desired them at all, I recall being offended as a teen by a fellow youth who received a spiritual gift.  I confess my initial reaction was not to praise the LORD or be encouraged to ask God for spiritual gifts but was like the hard-sleeping harlot who went before King Solomon to resolve a domestic dispute in 1 Kings 3.  She had accidentally smothered her infant whilst she slept, so she rose in the night and switched her dead child with her roommate's living son.  The women appeared before the king and both claimed the living boy was hers.  Solomon commanded a sword be brought and the living child be divided between them--it was fair they both receive half.  The real mother begged the child to be spared while the thieving woman callously agreed to the murder:  she was willing to cut a living child in half out of envy for her loss and lack.  When I heard someone had a gift I didn't, my heart in that moment resembled the envious woman, willing to divide over my own pride.  Brothers and sisters, may we confess and repent when our hearts are thus inclined and neglect to walk in love towards all.  May our compassion identify us as God's own children.