..for you, it is for you and what God has for me it is for me. Jumping into something a bit off the topic of this blog post... A lot of people walk around trying to be "different" not realizing that they don't have to try to be anything other than themselves. You are already different from everyone you encounter, so you don't have to try to be something you're not. Anywho..
For a very long while, I've asked myself a question. A question with many different variations. The question was/is concerning spiritual gifts. The gift of an unknown language (tongues) in particular. Now.. several of my closest friends speak in tongues. I've never really cared that they do and I don't but how it is portrayed and how I'm seen because I don't is what really concerned me. I was once told that I should pray and ask God for this gift and in so many ways, I'm still being told this. Hearing this led me to believe that since I didn't speak in tongues, I held a lesser amount of belief in God and that I hadn't gained complete salvation. This was my thinking but I didn't necessarily believe that.
Firstly, if this is a gift from God... why should I be begging for it? Gifts are usually given out of the kindness of one's heart. I don't give people gifts because they ask me for them.. I give them because I want people to have them.... That's neither here nor there.. Moving on..
Whenever I ask people about this gift, they say something along the lines of "if you have yet to receive this gift, your desire for God isn't enough". I'm not quite sure why I continued to ask people as opposed to doing my own research and actually digging into the bible to get a full understanding but that's what I did and that's the kind of answer I got.
Let's explore 1 Corinthians a bit. Paul is really preaching in this book and I really just want to point out how much of a G Paul is... like he kept it all the way real.
I would first like to draw your attention to 1 Corinthians 12:7 which says "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other". Any one with any spiritual gift has to understand this. The gift isn't yours to keep for your own personal pleasures. It's purpose is to help you, help others.
Verse 10b goes on to say "Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said". The bible in which I am quoting scripture from is the Life Application Study Bible NLT version.The notes which follow this verse 10 are as follows : Speaking in tongues is a legitimate gift of the spirit. The exercise of the gift demands some guidelines so that the PURPOSE of the gift-to help the body of Christ- is not lost. Those who speak in tongues should follow the guidelines: those who do not speak in tongues ought NOT seek the gift as a sign of salvation or of special closeness with God, for it is NEITHER. It is a gift of God, given only to whomever God chooses. If a person has not experienced the gift of tongues, he or she ought not seek it but seek what gifts God HAS given".
When I read that I was just like wow... and to think all this time I was thinking I needed to seek out this gift to: 1. be closer to God and 2. actually be seen as a believer and child of God in the eyes of those who do speak in tongues. I'm not quite sure what gift or gifts God has or will bestow upon me but I do know this.... they will be for ME and ME only. Not to say that other people won't have the same gift but God will give me mine and he'll give you yours. Even if they are the same gifts, mine is mine and yours is yours.
Gaining the clarity in which I have is just amazing and I think that God did this to show me JUST how vital His word is because I'm not going to lie, it's a struggle for me to be in my word like I need to be. But let me tell you how once I'm in it... I'm in it and it's hard to get me out. For days I've been thinking about what I read in Corinthians. There's even so much more that I will have to blog about on a separate post. I'm just so thankful for revelation and understanding... in ALL thy getting, one must get an UNDERSTANDING and no longer am I ignorant to information that is VITAL to me. Thank you God.
lol stay tuned for part 2 of this.. I'm going to sleep.