“I Got the Power”

By: Deborah Ross Think about super heroes like Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and my favorites, The Incredibles.  What do they all have?  You guessed it! They all have super powers.   What would their movies be like if everyone had their super powers?  Their powers wouldn’t be so super, huh?  These heroes would then be regular people and not esteemed for having extraordinary abilities.  Hmmm. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… In Christ, I like to think of our spiritual gifts as super powers.  I used to elevate those gifts and the people who operated in them but in reality, unlike Superman and all of the other super heroes’ powers, the power that many believers possess is available to EVERY believer! It’s  a gift from the Holy Spirit.   If you are baptized with the Holy Spirit and ask for manifestations of the spirit you can begin to operate in power.  Ask and it shall be given (Matthew 7:7). In 1 Corinthians 12:1 Paul says that he doesn’t want the Corinthian church to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.   Later in 1 Corinthians 14:1 he encourages them to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. (This applies to us! Don’t be ignorant about this power, family, read about these spiritual gifts, study them whenever you get a chance and earnestly desire them. ) In 1 Corinthians 12:4, he tells them that, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (NIV).Therefore, there are a variety of gifts but only one source, the Holy Spirit, whom all believers have access to.  In verses 8 through 10 Paul lists those different manifestations/gifts. (I won’t go through all of them because the purpose of this devotional is to point out how we all have the ability to possess this power from the Holy Spirit.) Knowing this should make us less prone to put people in certain offices on pedestals as if they have this exclusive access to the power of God.   It definitely helped me.  It made spiritual gifts less “spooky” and less distant as well and simply something that I have access to through the Holy Spirit to edify the church, and to draw others to Christ.  The manifestations of the Holy Spirit, those super powers we have in Christ, are available to all who ask to be filled by the Holy Spirit and to receive His powers.  The Holy Spirit will distribute them as He sees fit, some may have one, some another.  We all have a part in the body and God desires to use all of our gifts for the common good, to edify the body and to advance the gospel.   I got the power!  You can have it too! =D     Deborah