Gifts

Okay. Let's talk about gifts for a minute or two. Especially with Christmas coming around soon, {& me & my sisters have started a tradition of giving gifts on thanksgiving as well} I've come to think on the subject of gifts a lot lately. & I've actually learned something new about them as well. But about spiritual gifts, not physical ones{more on that(Spiritual gifts) later}. Anyhow. Hm. Where was I? Oh yes! Learning something new about spiritual gifts! It isn't anything spectacular, but I was reading through I Corinthians 12 the other morning where it is talking about the diversity in spiritual gifts, & in verses 9 & 10, I found something most interesting{& a bit of a new concept for me} "...To another gifts of healings by the same spirit, to another the working of miracles,..." Now I know you are probably thinking "What does that have to do with anything?!" but the thing I learned from that is this; That the gift of healing, & the gift of miracles are two completely different sets of gifts! Woah! Talk about a twist on the story!{at least for me, folks...} I had always just assumed healings to be miracles, {& they are!}, but those two verses tell me that a healing in & of itself, is a whole different concept, & gift, than just any other miracle. Now. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, about healings, & how we often are ashamed to proclaim Christ in the sense that we don't often reach out to pray healing over someone, unless asked to directly. Which, in my opinion is not a sin, nor is it the right thing to do, necessarily, but think about it for a minute{please} If healing someone is so amazing that Paul put it into it's own gifting category, don't you think that those who possess such a gift should employ it? Now granted, I don't believe that means they can heal whoever, whenever, even Jesus told people of the requirement{That they have faith!!}, & though they aren't recorded in the Bible{That I know of}I'm sure at least once or twice people were not healed, because they did not have faith, in Jesus' ministry. Does that make Jesus any less so a good person? Or any less God's son? No. So we should also be careful not to judge those who we don't believe to be using their gift of healing, when we think they should, it is between them & God, but we should also ask ourselves if we possess that gift? It's a tricky thing, knowing what your gift(s) is(are), I myself have not the slightest idea so far{God will reveal it in the right timing, I suppose:))}, but if it has not been revealed to you that you possess the gift of healing, or miracles, please, don't just go out into the streets & test if you do. I think it would be a most unpleasant situation for everyone involved if it was proven that you, in fact, do NOT possess either of those giftings.
Anyhow. Now that I've ranted my dear little heart out on the subject of giftings{& it is all probably ill-conceived & said too...}, & have spoken my mind on how they are to be dealt with, I bid you all Adieu, & Goodnight. :))