Genesis 24:49 English Standard Version (ESV) Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

Yesterday I brought up the issue of gifts. In a normal discipleship course the issue of gifts would be dealt with later in the program after dealing with important definitions and ordinances. Because we have been dealing primarily with the issues of love and relationship it is important to understand one of the characteristics of all types of love, from love of a friend to the love of God. That is the trait of reciprocal force.

Friends who have philia type love each find a balance of concerns, doing things they both like to do. If common ground cannot be establish those affections fade away. Friends drift apart when interest change and they lose that common interest.

Eros love is passion but if one only thinks selfishly and has no ability to give of self, the relation will end because it is not reciprocal. It is not uncommon for people who have passion for each other to drift apart because one of them is overtly selfish.

It is a natural trait of every type of love to share that love, no matter what type of love. I have thought that the message in John 14:15 could have stopped with “If you love me….” This would allow the hearer to do a self-examination to determine what they bring to the relationship.

We are told to love God and to love one another and if we cannot demonstrate in some tangible manner an expression of love beyond the verbal expletive, what does that say of us? So much emphasis is placed on gifts that each of us wants to identify our gifts in order to show God that we do in fact love.

1 Corinthians 12:31a English Standard Version (ESV) But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Sometimes too much emphasis is placed on the desire to serve at the highest levels.

Psalm 5:1-6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
² Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
⁵ The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

What is the point of this Psalm? It was written as a song, given to the choirmaster with these instructions, “for the flutes”. The flutes are called out for their part in particular. They were to be the music.

Not everything within the bible is as clear as these instructions, “This is your part.” It is clear that the choirmaster receives the instruction and passes down the instruction that is given. But who plays the flute? The one gifted to do so, who has either a natural gift or a given gift.

Ephesians 4:8 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”^[a]

Footnotes: [a] The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women

Our gifts can be natural or spirit given. It may even be that a natural gift is enhance spiritually. While the bible does lay out in detail diversities of gifts in several ways by category, function and purpose, it is conceivable that there are natural talents that God can uses to further His kingdom that are not listed.

What is your gift?