Now There Are Diversities of Gifts ~Biblical Musings~

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." 1 Corinthians 12:4-7


Our spiritual "talents" are not extraordinary abilities that we came by on our own. They are not meant to be flaunted or to cause us to think more highly of ourselves. We are all sinners, saved by grace, and by that same grace, given a gift. Our gifts are to be used responsibly for the good of others and the Kingdom.


"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 12:8-11


We cannot take any credit or glory for the gifts we've received. They are not from us. They are gifts that were freely given as God saw fit and can be taken away if used improperly. We should never use our gifts or talents as an excuse to think we are better than anyone else, because:


"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into on Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many...........And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?" 12:12-14 & 16-17


If we think our talents or gifts are less than others, we need to remember that:


"But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?.........Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:..........Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular..........Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" 12:18-19, 22, 27, 29-30


God has given each of us (Christians) a special gifts by his Spirit and we need to recognize it, use it for His glory and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, because it's not of us. All of the good things we have come from God.....He has just loaned them to us for a while. Not because we deserve them, but to use for his glory.

3/4/09

I have finally made good on my promise: to post photos of the inside of my Ladies Home Journal. These are a few of my favorite pages. You can click on the photos to see them in better detail. :-)

I'd love to re-make the second dress from the left. I'd make it the same, except for changing the length to sit just below the knees. It could even be worn over some jeans or a pair of leggings.

Some darling, uncut paper dolls.

3/2/09

While I have yet to post photos of my vintage Ladies Home Journal magazine, I thought it would be fun to share some of the sweet poems that I found inside. Here are just a couple of my favorites from the June, 1911 issue.

~*~

A Morning Prayer

Father, who hast made the mountains,

Who hast formed each tiny flower,

Who hast filled the crystal fountains,

Who hast sent us sun and shower:

Hear they children's morning prayer,

Asking for They guardian care;

Keep and guide us all the day,

Lead us safely all the way.

--Frances Ridley Havergal

~*~

When a bit of sunshine hits ye,

After passin' of a cloud;

When a fit of laughter gits ye,

An' yer spine is feeling proud;

Don't fergit ter up an' fling it

At a soul that's feeling blue,

For the minit that ye sling it

It's a boomerang to you.

-- Anonymous

~*~

Look on the bright side every time,

Don't waste your days repining;

When any cloud looks dark and dull,

Turn out the silver lining.

Be wise! Be cheerful, bright and glad!

Leave to the fool his folly,

And let your motto be: "Cheer up!"

Your rule of life, "Be jolly."

-- Anonymous

~*~

Drop a word of cheer and kindness---

Just a flash and it is gone;

But there's half a hundred ripples

Circling on and on and on,

Bearing hope and joy and comfort

On each splashing, dashing wave,

Till you wouldn't guess the volume

Of the one kind word you gave.

--Anonymous

2/19/09

I've been smitten! My mom brought a Ladies Home Journal catalog home from my Grandma's house today. It's a 1911 edition and filled with so many wonderful things, that I can barely take the time to describe them. As I am fairly new to the consuming love of all things vintage, this is the first time I have really looked through a magazine like this before. Sure, I have a couple of old Sears & Roebuck catalogs, but nothing like this. I am drooling over the color pictures of romantic women's dresses, large and beautiful hats covered in flowers and scarves, as well as the sweet menus and recipes for an old fashioned tea party. I am in utter bliss at this moment. *sigh*
I plan to post photos of my favorite pages later on..........when I get a chance and my sewing projects have slowed down a bit. But for now, I've included a link to a list of predictions from Ladies Home Journal. I don't own this copy, but I found the predictions online. I hope you enjoy these, as there are some really hysterical, and at times true, predictions here. http://www.yorktownhistory.org/homepages/1900_predictions.htm

Ta-ta for now,
~Alexandrea