Thoughts for the Day

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Have you ever done a self-inventory - not of what you own, or have done - but of what you are good at? Try it! Be scrupulously honest with yourself, look at things like this:

I am good at:

• Making people happy
• Finding ways around problems
• Working with my hands (eg with wood, wool, etc)
• Cooking, music, art....
• Anything to do with technology
• Listening to others
• Working with children, or the elderly
• Bringing calm to a situation
• Praying for others

St Paul says that the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts things like wisdom and and faith, and he lists them in the Corinthian reading above. But the Spirit also gives us many natural talents as we can see if we've done our self-inventory. The point is that these gifts are also given to us for the 'common good', for the Church and for the wider community. In other words they are given to us to be used for others, not to be kept secretly for ourselves. If they are never used they will also wither!

Generous God,
You give each one of us gifts
to be used for the good of others.
Encourage us to do an inventory
of what gifts You have given us,
and of how we use them.
Then help us to make changes
to our life.
Amen.