“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-9 (RSV)
Paul lists many amazing gifts given by the Holy Spirit, in his letter to the Corinthians. After mentioning each of those gifts in the 12th chapter, he begins the first sentence in chapter 13, by saying, even if we possess all of these gifts, but do not have love, we are nothing.
It’s sobering to realize that love and compassion can override all the gifts of the Spirit, which include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.
In the 12th chapter, we learn that the spiritual gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit, to each individual person as He desires. So the gifts of the Spirit are just that-Gifts, given to us according to God’s will.
The gifts are given according to the His choice, but love and compassion are choices we make. The love of God and love of our neighbor, are the two greatest commandments, given to us directly from the mouth of Jesus. He expects us to choose to obey and pursue those two greatest commandments. He doesn’t zap us and instantly turn us into loving, compassionate human beings, but rather it’s something we are meant to pursue and seek after.
Wisdom, like any other gift of the Spirit, seems to work better when combined with compassion. A gift of wisdom without compassion, comes across as self-righteous or heartless, while compassion without wisdom becomes foolish and naive. To have one without the other can leave a person spiritually undeveloped and immature. The Spirit gives us gifts, but we are expected to abide in the commandments to love, and to add compassion to those gifts. There is no doubt that we would have a much better world if a dose of compassion was added to every gift.
Adding compassion to wisdom transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. We were all created in God’s image, and born to imitate our Father, in Heaven. His Spirit has given us many gifts, but to follow Jesus’ two greatest commandments, and abide in Him, is something we must choose. Jesus made it clear that we are judged not by how much we know, but by how much we love.
When I find myself struggling to have compassion, the epistle of James encourages me, since he tells us that if we lack something, it might be because we have not asked for it. He tells us to pray and ask God for what we are lacking. (James 4:2)
Jesus intended for us to combine compassion with wisdom, saying “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
He wants us to be wise as a shrewd serpent, but have the compassion of a gentle dove. It seems like a dichotomy to be both, but it’s God’s prescription, which is possible only by the power of His Spirit who dwells in us.
Wisdom is a valuable gift when a dose of compassion is added to it.
It gives us understanding and changes our perspective in how we see problems and people. I always used to pray for wisdom, but I realize how much I need compassion with that wisdom. We only need to look at the anger and division in the present world, to know that we desperately need both.
When wisdom is partnered with compassion, it enables us to see beyond our differing ideologies or opinions, and to see people from the heart. It leads us to seek what unites us rather than what divides us, and is a pathway to peace. The Spirit’s wisdom diffuses anger in the heart, before it manifests into harsh words. Compassion helps us to speak to one another with healing words. When we combine compassion with wisdom, it changes lives, and changed lives can change the world.
Lord, help us to choose compassion and love to be added to our wisdom, that we might show mercy before we judge, and seek the love that sees others from your perspective, instead of our own. Amen
