‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Paul taught that all gifts are equally important and must work together to accomplish the greater purpose for the body. He unlikely would have taught that one gift is better than the other.

He spoke these things to emphasise how important each gift is to the Church. God gives these gifts to His body to function and cover every area.

When one chooses not to function as an apostle, it creates an imbalance in the body. At this point, not all are apostles to take the place of an apostle to train others. This is the same with all the other gifts

Paul ends this verse by saying I will show you a more excellent way.

This does not mean that there is a gift that is more better than the rest. What he is saying is there is an excellent WAY for the gifts to function in. What Paul trying to teach is that love is the key to function in all of the gifts.

This is because love is patient, kind, suffers long, does not envy, does not parade itself, and is not puffed up.

Paul therefore taught us to function in our gifts by being grounded in love and this will be the best way to function in that gift.

Desiring the gifts for personal desires can create bad consequences that would hurt people.

We are to desire as Paul taught. When there is a need or desire for the gifts, we can serve the people with the love of God.

Paul taught that our desire needs to be motivated because others can taste and see the goodness of God.

If all the gifts function in a more excellent way as Paul taught, then we will not have people leaving their functions in the body because they are upset that they did not get their way in, and so on.

People who function in their gifts with the love of God will persist under all kinds of storms because their eyes are on saving the people and not gaining the comfort of their own agenda.

Let us function in the gifts that the Lord has blessed, grounded, and rooted in the same love which Jesus loved us.

Blessings

Ps Ambrose