Profitable Living

1 Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

To some people, making a profit has always smacked of being a form of evil, as generally one side of a bargain takes advantage of the other side in the bargain – and that is how profit is generated. “Buy low, sell high,” is the guiding principle. The person who “buys high,” loses.

But this leaves out the principle of value. The bargain is based on perceived value, and if the buyer is willing to pay because of the value he perceives - who then is to say ‘buying high’ is a bad decision? Indeed, if one only intends to hold and not re-sell what has been purchased, the price paid fades into the mist of time, and satisfaction of ownership is all that matters. This is what we may call the “long view.”

A more interesting prospect is the possibility of the purchase itself becoming profitable by ownership rather than by re-sale. This is what the Apostle Paul is arguing. This happens by investment in the purchase itself.

We have been purchased with a price. That purchase price was extremely high. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have been bought and paid for by His sacrificial death. This is central to the Christian faith. We cannot overlook this. Because of the GREAT VALUE the Lord has placed on YOUR life, the Lord Himself has provided a sacrifice for your sin to ensure eternal fellowship with you. He loves you that much. You are His ‘pearl of great price.’ The bargain? He exchanged the life of His Son for your sin. Was that a good deal for God? Was that a shrewd bargain? Only when you consider your value in His loving eyes…

Rather than by re-sale, the Lord seeks to make the ‘purchase’ profitable by ownership through special ‘gifts’ bestowed to each He calls His own. And of this, we are exhorted to NOT be ignorant. Pleasantly, we find through His investment of gifts we are made profitable to His kingdom by the effect we have on others. It is all about Him and for Him, and for Him it is all about us and for us. How wonderful, how marvelous, are the gifts of God! How can we allow ourselves to be ignorant of them any longer?

It is time to open the gift(s) and put it/them to good use for the profit of all by the power of the Holy Spirit in us for us.

- Pastor Bill