1 Corinthians 12

So this post is actually one something that's a couple nights old, I just haven't had a chance to sit down and get it written out yet, but it's still blowing my mind.

So 1 Corinthians 12 contains the body passage, so I've read it dozens of dozens of time because it was the main passage that the St. George's camp at Shrine Mont where I attended and worked, so it's held a special place in my heart. However verses 27-31 was what was really standing out to this time around:

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 "²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts."
(emphasis added by me)

Now this is blowing my mind for a couple of reasons:

1) God is placing "miracles" and "healings" on the same level as "helps" and "administration"! To me, that says that this is standard expectation. Church 101. It makes sense because for healing and miracles, all I really do is place my hand on someone and pray for God to show up and do what He loves to do. He does all the hard work.

2) He, God, is telling us to desire the higher levels of the moves of His Spirit. And He defines miracles and healing on the entry level. We would probably all agree that we see these more flashy impressive gifts would be greater, because we're more impressed by them. I can promise you, that when a person who is a helper shows up to give a conference at church, not very many people would be excited. People are usually glad when the helper is around, and even occasionally grateful of what they do, but people are stoked when a miracle worker prays for them.

3) I'm pretty sure that if the good good God who put that last verse"But eagerly desire the greater gifts." in the same Bible where He says "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 then He intends to do it!

4) Chapter 13 is right after this, which is what Paul is pointing us to when he says "And yet I will show you the most excellent way." The "most excellent way" is love. Even after all of the gifts , the standard by which the Lord will measure us is love. DANG! I think the way we do Chapter 13 is by doing Chapter 12. By gaining a revelation of Jesus, we gain love for Him, which gives us the ability for us to love others.

I had to take a moment to repent for not valuing the things that the Lord values, and not valuing them in myself. It helped me to realize the way the Lord values out interactions with one another and we serve to help each other, and to have better appreciation for those around me. Also this makes me realize the accessibility of the the moves of God that are "greater" and those that are actually greater in the Lord's eyes.