Gifts

hey guys gonna sleep earlier than usual today cos need to go to sch at 10am tmr to paint the CF banner for open house. and after tt gonna spend the rest of the day at barker carnival:)

k so my qt for today is abt the gifts tt God has given to us. i find tt this qt is very relevant for me especially at this time cos i just stopped being a sunday school teacher so i feel tt God is reminding me tt there is a ministry tt He has prepared for me and He has given me the gifts necessary for this ministry. well God has given us all different gifts tt we can use in different ministries and we shld use them for His work cos wads the use of a gift if we cant share it and use it for wad it is meant to be used for?

another thing abt gifts tt i always believe is tt u shld nv be jealous of another person's gift. there was a period tt i always envy my sister's ability to teach children but ive come to realise tt tts her gift. God has given me other gifts to work in other ministries. i do not have to follow my sister or even my parents' footsteps in the ministries tt they are in. God has His purpose for each and every one of us and He has given us the different gifts necessary.

and the last thing abt gifts tt i always stand by is abt speaking in tongues. ok this will be totally my point of view and some things i say is supported by the bible but dont take my whole word for it. if u agree with it tts great, if u dont well i dont mind a good discussion:) so well im gonna rant a bit. so my beef (who says beef?) is with the charismatic churches. well its just tt i disagree with one of their teachings(not the whole denomination so dont come after me...pls). its tt most of the charismatic churches are teaching tt everyone has to be able to speak in tongues. and tt just contradicts the bible cos doesent everyone have different gifts? how can everyone be given the gift of speaking in tongues. As Romans 12:6-8 state "⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."i mean if u really got the gift i would say use it for the furtherance of God's kingdom but to expect everyone to have it, u are just alienating those true Christians tt dont have the gift and making them fake it just to fit in. and wad kind of practice would scare away newcomers? i mean if i was a non-believer and i walked into a service and everyone was speaking it tongues i would be totally freaked out and think tt they were some kind of cult or possessed even. well i would still be totally freaked out but u get my drift. i noe tt they do attract a lot of ppl still but how many more ppl do they turn away with them believing tt all Christians are like tt?

and isnt the purpose of speaking in tongues for other ppl? its not for urself. i reemphasise, wads the use of a gift if its not shared? shldnt a gift be used to enrich other ppl's lives? (wow amazing how my qts can connect) a gift is given to u for ministry, not for self-indulgence. God would give the gift of tongues to a missionary for instance so tt he can preach the word to ppl of different languages. wads the use of a speaker of tongues if there is no translator? tts why i feel tt sometimes when ppl speak in tongues it is not through the power of God. well i went to loveMG this yr and if u were there u would noe tt the guest speaker was like speaking in tongues and prophesying here and there and tt totally made me uncomfortable.

PROPHESYING!!! tts another pt i have tt when some ppl say tt they can prophesise, i always have a doubt in me. i mean again if they truly have the gift, by all means prophesy. but how sure are u tt u are truly prophesying through the Holy Spirit? how sure are u tt it isnt something coming out of ur own mind? i mean sometimes i think of them like some fortune teller at a carnival (ok i noe there are no carnivals in s'pore but u get my drift) who like totally fakes there prophecies but like saying something vague or trying to guess it. well i guess u would nv noe whether u truly have the gift of prophesying so well all u can do is pray abt it.

ok tts the end of my rant. thx for bearing with me. well if u talk to me abt tongues tts wad i would say all the time. so we shld always pray for God's guidance on wad gift He has given to us and we shld always use it to further His kingdom and not keep it to ourselves. if it is the gift of singing, go into the worship ministry. if it is administration, go help out in church administration. and if it is truly the gift of tongues, use it in the mission field.

k tts it for my qt. if u have not stopped reading yet (i noe u havent, jan:), thx for bearing with my long-windedness. and well i find tt its quite amazing when God gives u a qt tt is totally relevant in ur lives and tt is truly how God can speak to us. i admit tt before i didnt really do qt everyday and well i totally regret it as God may have given me so much help during those tough times especially last yr. so if u havent alr, i urge u to start doing qt every single day. u will be amazed at how God can speak to u. even through a one yr old book (as stated in my very first post, im using the June-Aug 2008 Our Daily Bread rite now for my qt) can He do wonders. well its 2.30am, i better go sleep. yea tts earlier for me. rmb tt ive been sleeping at like 4-5 the past few days? haha k tts it for me today. gonna have fun tmr out of the house. oh btw continue to pray for safety for those in japan rite now and for anyone else u noe tt has gone overseas. we really have to thank God for placing us in such a safe place as s'pore (oh and Australia's quite safe too so U can thank Him too for sending U there, if U are reading this). just ignore the bracketed words if u are not U:) k then gonna go sleep alr. cyas:)