Wisdom, knowledge, and the discerning of spirits

What fun it is to go through the index and learn of spiritual gifts! I have been through most of it now, and the thought of being done with this phase is kinda like finishing a novel that you've completely loved. You want to turn the page, but know that there are limited numbers of pages left to turn.

Thankfully I guess, I can always learn from other sources, and I can go back through at any time. There are always layers that are missed and soul recharging that can be done - and other subjects that can be soul enlarging as well.

So the subject remains gifts of the spirit, and Doctrine and Covenants 46 is filled with the Lord's word on the subject.

Verse 8: ...Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given.

For what they are given? That's interesting. So why is a gift given? Obviously not so you have a bigger collection - it's not like certain wealthy people (or non wealthy who want to appear so) who collect cars or other objects to appear awesome. If you have a spiritual gift from God, I believe it must be honored, cherished, valued, used and developed before he's ready to give you more. You just can't hoard gifts - the perfect, loving Father wouldn't do that to us. We would have to answer for that.

So why is a gift given? I think it's kinda the opposite of hoarding it. It's so that one gift can be cherished and developed, and used, over and over again, to serve God's children. You don't take a gift - you give with it. How awesome is it that the more you give a gift that you've received, the bigger your gift is? This is not the way it works in the physical world - I like the spiritual way much better.

Remembering for what they are given. When given huge gifts, there can be a tendency to be proud of that gift. I have to fight this myself. I'm proud and excited that I have a portion of what (after the last post) I will call the Gift of Aaron - the ability to communicate. To present. To inspire perhaps. But there's a risk there - something of a double edged sword. I believe that as soon as I begin to feel pride for having that gift, my focus is on the wrong side and I begin to lose it. The gift was given to me, not earned or deserved, and it is not mine to keep to myself. It must be used, humbly, to serve.

10: I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are
11: To every man is given a gift
17-23 Gifts mentioned here include the word of wisdom, knowledge, miracles, prophesy, and discerning of spirits.
28 He that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit
30 He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God

I find it interesting that the gifts of wisdom and knowledge are mentioned separately. I find this painfully true in my life today. There are some I know who I would say are very much knowledgeable, but to me that doesn't translate to "getting it". To wisdom. This tells me that a person must be careful to check himself - if having wisdom and knowledge are two different things, then one must not assume that having one automatically means they have both.

On the other hand, it also corrects me a bit. I have to yield to the fact that knowledge is a gift of God. I see where it lies in someone to the point that it's an impediment to their growth, and the growth of others in their circle. That annoys me because sometimes my perceived wisdom and their perceived knowledge get in the way of each other. Still, I must now agree that their knowledge is a gift. That's a bit painful to me up front, but I can learn from this: more wisdom can be gained from their knowledge - even if their knowledge may be leading them sideways - at least as viewed by me - at the moment.

Oh. And don't get me started on discerning of spirits. This one could be entertaining. Does this mean that you can discern a good one from a bad one? Does it mean that you can discern when they are there? Or how many there are? Can you only see them in certain places or can you discern them at any time? I guess if you can tell the difference between good and bad spirits, you must know that they are there. Does it mean you can see them? Or can you just feel they're there? Does discernment use what we perceive as our physical or spiritual eyes? And are there only two kinds of spirits? Good and bad? What if discernment - well, I'll stop there. This is a subject that must be studied by each of us personally.

You can see that there are so many varieties of gift sets that the Lord might give us, all within this one category. May we yearn for, seek for, these gifts, and know that "he that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit".

What an adventure this life is.