God himself Is the Value of his Gifts.

God himself is the value of his gifts.

Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.16 And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1Cor. 12:15-21).

I have been writing about the importance of interpreting the value of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, because the misinterpretation divided the unity of the fellowship of the Corinthian church. In vv. 5-6, the Scripture teaches us that all gifts and services are equally precious, because the same Spirit distributes them, because regardless of their distinctions, they are given by the same Lord, and because although they are different types of working, the same God is at work through them.

That is to say, our interpretation of God will determine the significance of his gifts, for God himself is the value of his gifts. All the gifts like healing, prophecy, tongue, teaching, preaching, and leadership are worthy, because they are the evidence of the power of the Father. In the same way, our services like cooking, handing out bulletins, and cleanings are beautiful, because they are the demonstration of the love of our Lord Jesus. All of them are the manifestation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Our God is awesome and great, so that everything he does is wonderful; therefore, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the gifts and services, are worthy. When we appreciate one gift more than the other and when we respect one believer and ignore the service of others, we are discriminating the works of the Holy Spirit. When we complain about our gifts, we are doubting God’s plan and discernment. When we think we have greater gifts than others, we must remember the One who gave us the gifts.