To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit…  (1 Corinthians 12:9).

This is the gift my wife has always wanted.

She would love to be able to lay hands on people and heal them, as Jesus and his followers did in the Gospels and in Acts.

Frankly, I wouldn’t mind it too much myself.

Beloved, it is at this point that the gifts Paul is listing shift into the truly miraculous. Knowledge and wisdom and faith are things all of us can possess, but God blesses some with an extraordinary measure. Now we have moved into new realms. I mean, it’s not like I can say, “Well, I can heal the occasional broken bone, but Jim? He regrew that girl’s arm!” Healing, of the type Paul is talking about, is not something you see these days. How come?

Well, there are all kinds of answers to that, and we’ll get into it more over the next few days. For the moment, may I suggest that healing is but one of many gifts of the Spirit, and but one way to serve Him. Some people need healing; others need food, or clothing, or comfort, or understanding, or compassion. So far as I can tell, I don’t have the gift of healing, but that doesn’t stop me from serving God in the ways that I can. Eagerly desire the greater gifts, Beloved–but in the meantime do what you can do.

Happy Friday, Beloved.