1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. 

(leaving this off yesterday)

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Yes, that is the answer to what I left out yesterday.

My point yesterday is that when the flesh is satisfied with itself, it stops reading and searching for anything better. We all know what comes next don’t we? The love chapter 1 Corinthians 13.

The flesh is still the flesh, so do we know chapter 13 according to the spirit or the flesh?

As we review that chapter, listen to yourself. Do  you hear yourself saying “I can do that.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

English Standard Version

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[a] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Footnotes

1. 1 Corinthians 13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing

These 3 lines of 17 lines of verse identify how Agape love acts. The KJV does not use the word love and interprets the Greek as charity. Charity is a gift to others in need and is not selfish.

Rather than focusing on those other 14 verses for the moment allow me to list the last verse here; So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Agape is God’s love. God’s love is perfect. We are not perfect no matter how hard we try.

The biggest problem with comparing ourselves with Agape love is the condemnation by the flesh telling us we aren’t good enough. I am not patient enough or kind enough. I am envious and I do boast. As much as I hate it I can be arrogant and rude. I whine when I don’t get my own way. Irritable and resentful, let’s not even go there. While I don’t rejoice in evil doing I rejoice in seeing certain behaviors punished so I am not bearing all things. I don’t know everything and I hope for the wrong things, and I am a sufferer.  The issue isn’t about being perfect in love, it is about not allowing our flesh to interfere with God loving others through us. 

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he will give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Quoted in part from Romans 8

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 English Standard Version

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Gifts vs Purpose.

Gifts are to be used in service with purpose. Once we have identified our gift we still do not know how and when to use these gifts according to the will of God who has granted them.

One of the reasons most churches today do not practice spiritual gifts is because they focus on service gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 English Standard Version

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Over the years I have witnessed others seeking promotion because of line 31, earnestly desire.

For those who have received one spiritual gift, what have I left out?

This is exactly what happens when we allow the flesh to determine what the scriptures mean. The flesh will seek promotion and block out things that leave the flesh unsatisfied.

Rather than pointing out what I left out, I would prefer it if we could please recognize the importance of the spiritual gifts and how they can be used according to verse 7 “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

The manifestation is performed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and not through any effort of the flesh. In the flesh we do not know what is needed for the common good. The flesh will always seek to satisfy itself even when it sees something good can come out of it because it seeks glory rather than glorifying God. “Look what I did!” is the motto of the flesh.