If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:1–2
Why is it that in today's Christian culture, we so easily assume that the most gifted people are also the most spiritually mature?
The truth is, gifting and spiritual maturity are not the same thing. Stay with me for a moment—let me explain.
A person can move in powerful spiritual gifts and still struggle with serious character issues. You may be graced with the gift of prophecy, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, or any of the other gifts of the Spirit. You may be a seer or have a strong gift of discerning spirits. These gifts are valuable and have an important place in the body of Christ, but gifts alone do not determine spiritual maturity or establish rank in the Spirit.
The real question is this: what's your character like when no one is watching? You can speak in wonderful tongues, lay hands on the sick, and accurately prophesy, but how do you treat people outside of ministry? What's your heart posture before God? What does your private prayer life look like? Do you spend time in God's Word when no one is watching? Are you becoming more like Christ in the way you think, speak, and treat others? Are you walking in love, humility, purity, kindness, patience, self-control, and obedience?
These are the things that matter to God. God isn't impressed by public displays of your gifts while your private character remains undeveloped. Gifts may reveal what God has entrusted to you, but character reveals how faithfully you are stewarding it.
Let's take a close look at Matthew 7:15–20:
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
False prophets aren't called false because they give false prophecies. They're false because their fruit doesn't match the tree they claim to grow from. Their character and actions don't align with the God they claim to represent.
Gifts are given, but good fruit is cultivated and produced through a life totally surrendered to God.
So, if you want to measure someone's spiritual stance, don't just look at the "gifts" that flow through them. Look at what grows from them. Look at the fruit they produce, because that's what determines spiritual rank and maturity.
#becomingavessel
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