"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but all the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Don't we all like gifts? It doesn't matter if it is even the smallest gift, I know for me, I get so excited, because most of the time, it is the thought that counts, but how much more exciting & special is it to receive a GIFT FROM THE LORD??
The Lord has given each of us at least ONE spiritual gift to use for His Kingdom purposes. The apostle Paul lists several in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, and some in 1 Peter 4:9-11
If you don't know what gifts you have, volunteer for a ministry in your church that interests you, or meet a need you learn about. Then ask yourself if you saw God work through you and if you had joy as you served. Ask fellow believers if they think you're gifted in that area. Most important, ask the Lord to help you determine where you fit in His plans because the Lord wants to use you too!!!
Christians who bury their gifts are making a grave mistake.
A BRIEF SURVEY OF SOME GIFTS OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS
A brief survey of some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament is provided in the following table:
| Gift | Description | Result | Example |
| Prophecy (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians14:29-32) | Speaking truth directly revealed from God. | Understanding mystery (1 Corinthians 13:2) | Timothy (1 Timothy 4:14), Daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9) |
| Service, Helping(Romans 12:7) | Aiding others to do God's work. Giving practical assistance to member of the church. | Serving the church and the needy (Acts 6:1) | Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16) |
| Teaching(Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11) | Communicating the truth and applications of the Scripture. | Understanding the Word of God (Acts 18:26) | Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:26), Apollos (Acts 18:27-28), Paul (Acts 18:11) |
| Encouraging(Romans 12:8) | Urging one to pursue proper conduct or to console. | Encouragement (Acts 9:27) | Barnabas (Acts 4:36) |
| Giving(Romans 12:8) | Liberally and cheerfully imparting substance to God's work. | Meeting physical needs (Acts 9:36) | Dorcas (Acts 9:36) |
| Leadership(Romans 12:8) | Organizing and administering the work of the ministry. | Order (Titus 1:5) | Titus (Titus 1:5) |
| Showing Mercy (Romans 12:8) | Giving undeserved aid to others. | Sympathy, compassion toward undeserving | Barnabas (Acts 9:27) |
| Apostleship(1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11) | Being an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ and speaking authoritatively about faith and practice. | Sets forth God's precepts for the church (1 Corinthians 14:37) | Paul (Galatians 1:1), Peter (1 Peter 1:1) |
| Evangelism(Ephesians 4:11) | Presenting the gospel with clarity and with a burden for the unsaved. | Understanding the Gospel | Philip (Acts 21:8) |
| Pastor / Teacher(Romans 12:7; Ephesians 4:11) | Shepherding and teaching the church. | Care and godly instruction (Acts 20:28-31) | Paul (1 Thessalonians 2:7-12) |
| The Message of Wisdom(1 Corinthians 12:8) | Perceiving and presenting the truth of God. Applying God's Word or wisdom to specific situations. | The ability to grasp and apply the revelation given | John (1 John 1:1-3) |
| The Message of Knowledge(1 Corinthians 12:8) | Understanding and exhibiting wisdom from God. Revelation from God about people, circ*mstances, or Biblical truth. | Truth understood in its spiritual sense (1 Corinthians 2:6-12) | Paul (Colossians 2:2-3) |
| Faith(1 Corinthians 12:9) | Trusting God implicitly to perform unusual deeds. | Accomplishment of great tasks | Stephen (Acts 6:5) |
| Healing(1 Corinthians 12:9) | Being able to cure diseases. | Complete cures (Acts 3:6-7) | Peter and John (Acts 3:6-7), Paul (Acts 20:9-12) |
| Miracles(1 Corinthians 12:10) | Being able to perform works of power. | People fear God (Acts 5:9-11) | Paul (Acts 13:8-11) |
| Discernment(1 Corinthians 12:10) | Distinguishing the power by which a teacher or prophet speaks. | Exposure of false prophets (1 John 4:1) | Believers at Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:29) |
| Tongues(1 Corinthians 12:10) | Speaking in a language not understood by the speaker. | Praise to God which is understood by those persons knowing the language spoken (Acts 2:1-12). Thanksgiving to God which may be understood if someone interprets the language spoken (1 Corinthians 14:5,16, 27-28). | The disciples |
| Interpretation(1 Corinthians 12:10) | Making "tongues" understandable. | Confirmation of the foreign language (1 Corinthians 14:27-28) |
Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin
This pork loin is by far, one of the best and easiest I have ever cooked! You will love it!
Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) boneless porktenderloin (or regular pork loin)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water
Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Directions:
Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic.
Rub over roast.
Place in slowcooker with 1/2 cup water.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 1 hour before roastis done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan.
Heat and stir untilmixture thickens.
Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour ofcooking.
Serve with remaining glaze on the side.
This week I am reading Hollywood Scandals by Gemma Halliday.
I got it for free on Ibooks, which is why I am reading it. Who doesn't love a free book. It is actually a pretty good read. At first, I was getting bored, but now that I am about 1/2 way through, it is pretty interesting.
As most of you know by now, I am a Goodreads addict! I LOVE that website, however, it is not very good for my addiction to buying books. Last week I entered a couple Goodreads giveaways, thinking I was just wasting my time, but this week I received an email saying I won Love is the Cure: Ending the Global Aids Epidemic by Elton John. I am so excited to get it in the mail!
If you haven't signed up for Goodreads, please just go ahead and give into temptation and do so now! hehe Make sure you add me as a friend too!
Have a very blessed week!!!
