Gifted

I’ve always been drawn to the superhero genre. One reason for this could be because I grew up watching cartoons based on Marvel’s X-Men. I thought it was interesting that each member of the X-Men possessed a unique ability, and I loved when all the characters used their abilities as a team to accomplish good in the world.

It’s quite a leap to move from the fictional genre of superheroes to the truth of God’s indwelling presence in the lives of believers. But I’m captivated by the reality that every child of God is indwelt with His Spirit and given a gift, or gifts, in order to build up the Church and accomplish God’s will for the world.  

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 reads, “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” 

According to this passage, the Holy Spirit gives each believer a spiritual gift or gifts that we are to discover, develop, and then deploy to serve others and strengthen the Church (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4). He “gifts” us power for ministry!

This truth is a blessing (how incredible that we are given a unique gift!), but it does come with implications for the Church. 

In the mid-sixth century BC, well before Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians, a storyteller by the name of Aesop is credited with writing fables that we still tell today. Fables such as “The Tortoise and the Hare”, “The Ant and the Grasshopper”, “The Fox and the Crow”, “The Lion and the Mouse” and so on. Perhaps you’ve even read them to your kids or grandkids to teach them a lesson like “slow and steady wins the race.”

One of the fables that Aesop is credited with is “The Stomach and the Body.” I’d like to share the fable with you today using a newer translation by Laura Gibbs (2002).      

Back when all the parts of the human body did not function in unison, as is the case today, each member of the body had its own opinion and was able to speak. The various members were offended that everything won by their hard work and diligent efforts was delivered to the stomach while he simply sat there in their midst, fully at ease and just enjoying the delights that were brought to him. Finally, the members of the body revolted: the hands refused to bring food to the mouth, the mouth refused to take in any food, and the teeth refused to chew anything. In their angry effort to subdue the stomach with hunger, the various parts of the body and the whole body itself completely wasted away. As a result, they realized that the work done by the stomach was no small matter, and that the food he consumed was no more than what he gave back to all the parts of the body in the form of blood which allows us to flourish and thrive, since the stomach enriches the blood with digested food and then distributes it equally throughout the veins. 

In some versions of this fable, the stomach puts a stop to the foolish body parts by laughing at them or mocking them. But in the Medieval Latin versions of the fable, the protest leads to a darker, more logical conclusion. The entire body wastes away and dies.

It’s not hard to guess the lesson of this fable: every part has a role to play and is critically important to the well-being of the whole body. It’s quite possible that the apostle Paul had Aesop’s fable in mind when he wrote 1 Corinthians 12 because the same holds true for the body of Christ. As each spiritually gifted person uses his or her gifts in love within the context of the faith community, the whole community is strengthened.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (2 Timothy 1:5-7).

Paul encouraged Timothy about his sincere faith and then exhorted him to “rekindle the gift of God” that was in him. Other translations read “fan into flame the gift of God.” We aren’t told what Timothy’s spiritual gift was, but the implication is that he had a personal responsibility to steward it well. He was to exercise it with courage, power, love, and self-control. In doing so, I believe Timothy bore spiritual fruit and the church in Ephesus was built up. 

Every child of God has the same opportunity as Timothy because we’re all gifted by the Holy Spirit. We can discover, develop, and deploy our spiritual gift(s) with courage, in power, love, and self-control to accomplish good in our churches and the world. As the fable portrayed, when we neglect to use the gifts God has given us, the whole Church suffers. We really do need each other!

How might God be inviting you to “fan into flame” the your gifts today?