Day 16

The Holy Spirit works through us to show the wonders of God to other people.

‘All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’ (ACTS 2:4)

The Book of Acts cannot be described as ‘The Acts of the Apostles,’ but only as the ‘Acts of the Risen Christ by His Holy Spirit.’ Peter denied the healing of the lame man at the temple gate was an act of an apostle. ‘He said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus’ (Acts 3:12-13).

Spiritual gifts, by definition, operate by the enabling of the Spirit. When our gifts draw attention only to ourselves, or feed our own ego, they are not spiritual anymore, but carnal. We are privileged to be the means God uses to bless others. The cause is the working of the Holy Spirit; the effect is the blessing of other people, and we are privileged to be the means between them. To be used by God to enrich someone else’s life is reward enough.

Spiritual gifts are given not for the display of the person who has them, but to reveal God to those who will see Him at work. The purpose of whatever spiritual gift we have is to draw attention to God. The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit doing missionary work. This must be the focus of all the gifts of the Spirit that we exercise.

Lord, use me to bring blessing to others today.