You may not be smarter than everyone else, but you are gifted!
1 Corinthians 12:1–6 (NIV)
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 5: The Authority of Scripture
We receive all these books [of the Bible]
and these only
as holy and canonical,
for the regulating, founding, and establishing
of our faith.
And we believe
without a doubt
all things contained in them—
not so much because the church
receives and approves them as such
but above all because the Holy Spirit
testifies in our hearts
that they are from God,
and also because they prove themselves
to be from God.
For even the blind themselves are able to see
that the things predicted in them
do happen.
Summary
We live in a sea of ideas, with new opinions, thoughts and theories crashing down upon us like giant waves. Certainly the internet has massively contributed to our information overload, but it's not fully to blame. Two thousand years ago the Corinthians were just as inundated with ideas as you are, although rather than TikTok or Instagram, they were surrounded by influencers shilling for one pagan temple or another.
We've mentioned before the noetic effect that sin has upon us, meaning that we can't think straight anymore. John Calvin put it well; he said that our minds are 'idol factories' that never cease production. We no longer can discern truth on our own anymore, so consequently people's opinions get blown around in whatever direction the wind comes from.
But not you. Like the Corinthians Paul wrote to, you're no longer "influenced and led astray" by ungodly concepts. It's not that you don't come to the wrong conclusions anymore - even sinfully wrong conclusions - but rather that you've been given a renewed heart/mind and so you can therefore more and more recognize the truth.
This renewal process looks different in every person; some are quite obviously gifted while others have more subtle abilities. You've been enabled to serve in ways different than your friends and family; they have their own Spirit given abilities. But in all of these Spiritual gifts, it's God who is at work
Dig Deeper
How do you know the the Bible is the truth? Many of us have probably never really thought this out, because for our entire lives the understanding that the Bible is true has been just as concrete as the fact that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow morning. The Bible is true because almost everyone you know and trust has told you it's true: grandparents, parents, Sunday school teachers, ministers and even your friends and neighbors.
But our confession wants more from you. We don't believe the Bible is true simply because so many people we trust say it is, and certainly not because we're smarter or wiser than those who reject the Bible. We don't even believe it's true simply because the Church says it's true!
The reason you believe the Bible is true is "because the Holy Spirit testifies in your heart that [the books of the Bible] are from God (Article 5)." Just as Paul wrote so long ago, nobody can "'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit (v3)."
The primary message of the Bible is that Jesus is Lord, so if you recognize that truth, know that you have the Holy Spirit in you! Keep doing the hard work of discovering and learning to use the other gifts He's given to you. Remember, "God is at work" in you!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who omnipotently works through the gifts His Spirit has bestowed upon us, His people;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving you the ability to see and understand the truth in His Word, and pray you'll utilize the other gifts He's given you as well;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 11
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