Seven Reasons the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Matter for Our Work

by Art Lindsley

As lawyers, you know how much time, effort, and preparation it takes to do your job well. But have you ever thought about how the Holy Spirit is involved in making successful work possible?

The work of the Holy Spirit in the world has several implications for Christians and their work. Whether working in creation or regeneration, the Spirit constantly empowers us to carry out the callings God places on our lives. There are many stories throughout the Old Testament of the Spirit bestowing gifts of leadership, strength, skill, and speech to God’s people (Gideon, Samson, David, etc.).

What implications do these stories bear for our work in the world today? Seven major points can be drawn from these ancient examples. We will review the first three today and the remaining four in two weeks. 

1. The Spirit gives us power.

Where we have gifts of the Holy Spirit, we have power. We can fail to appropriate or fully utilize our gifts, or we can bury them in the ground. However, when the Holy Spirit gives gifts, they are potentially powerful. Using these gifts is our responsibility, but our failure to do so does not negate their potential power.

2. We shouldn’t separate “natural” and “spiritual” gifts.

It is wrong to depreciate or separate our natural (created) gifts and our “spiritual” gifts. Both are from the Holy Spirit. Although God can give new capacities to people at any time, in most cases he empowers or develops the potential of our created gifts for use in the church or the world.

3. The Spirit helps us reach our true potential.

In both the Old and New Testaments, people need the Holy Spirit to overcome spiritual blindness and apprehend spiritual realities. Both Testaments tell many stories of people needing to be born again and their hearts made anew. Sparked by the Holy Spirit, this transformation enables us to develop our potential.

CLS Prayer

Dear God, Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Remind me daily that your empower, sustain, and call me to do Your work every day through the practice of law. Amen. 

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Art Lindsley, Ph.D. is vice president of theological initiatives at IFWE and author of C.S. Lewis’s Case for Christ, True Truth, Love: The Ultimate Apologetic, and co-author with R.C. Sproul and John Gerstner of Classical Apologetics.

The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics™, www.tifwe.org, is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) Christian research organization committed to promoting biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society.