TO KEEP GOD'S GIFTS
David Knecht
The Upper room May June 2010
The Upper Room Inc.

"Do not neglect your gift"   1 Timothy 4:14

My wife and I are both in our 80s and have begun to lose our hearing.  Our hearing loss has led to some amusing conversations - and to some that were not so amusing, especially when we were in a group of people. So we both decided to have our hearing tested.

We were not surprised to learn that we had both lost a lot of ability to hear. We asked what would happen if we were to muddle along the way we were. The technician explained that hearing is not simply a matter of the ear's capacity to pick up sound waves.  Hearing involves the mind learning to interpret different sounds.  If poor hearing is ignored, the mind can forget how to interpret particular sounds.

As I thought about the technician's words, I remembered Paul's words of warning quoted above: "Do not neglect your gift."  The gifts of the spirit are like the gift of hearing. If neglected, they soon drop out of our awareness. We dare not neglect the gifts of the Spirit and the habits of the heart that keep them fresh in our lives: prayer, studying the Bible, worshiping with the community of faith. These help us to appreciate the wonder of our daily walk in faith and to pay attention to God.

 Prayer:  Gracious God, keep our hearts turned to the gifts you have given. Amen

Reflection
How hard it is for most people who are becoming hard of hearing to admit it.
Yet even a slight loss of hearing is immediately apparent to others.
The same thing can be said of those who are not listening to the spirit speaking in them.
Their loss of patience, discernment, and perspective are immediately apparent to others.
Let's be not only attentive to our gifts but to the giver of our gifts so that we can live our risen life fully. crsr