Spiritual Gifts Are Serving Gifts

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” – 1 Cor. 12:7

God has gifted you with a special ability to benefit the whole body. It is not to be used on yourself. It is not to make you feel good, but to make you do good. It is not to give you evidence, but to give equipment. Spiritual gifts are not for your enjoyment, but for your employment.

I heard a story the other day about a woman who took a first aid course.  A couple weeks later she was giving a testimony of how the class had helped her.  She said then it happened, one day in front of her house was this horrible car wreck.  An elderly man, driving a car, lost control and hit her tree in the front of her house and was thrown onto the pavement.  When she ran out of the house, she saw that his head was crushed, his eyes were bloody, his body was twisted, and his body was pumping out blood onto the pavement through his ears. 

So the class said, “Wow, what did you do?”  She said, I remember in my first aid class the instructor telling us to put your head between your knees so you will not faint.  She said, “I did it, and it worked!”

To use your spiritual gift on yourself is to abuse it. This is why I reject the notion of “praying in tongues” as a legitimate spiritual gift.  The practice is done for the purpose of edifying the one praying.  No one around understands or comprehends. It is a selfish, man-made, devil inspired practice.  It goes contrary to the divine intentions of the Holy Spirit.