Paul knew having gifts was not enough to make them affective in the body of Christ. One must have the proper attitude.
I know some of these gifts are mine and I do need encouragement to have the proper attitude. In fact when I read this my first response is "Lord help me!" I know in my own strength I will come up very short.
prophesy - faith
service - serving
teacher - teaching
exhorter - exhortation (these llast three use the same root, Paul is simply saying "Do it.")
giver - liberality
leader - diligence
mercy - cheerfulness (for these Paul adds extra qualities that make them stronger, more effective)
The first four Paul is saying, Do it. Don't hold back. Don't be shy. Do it! With prophesy use all your faith. That is another way of saying don't do it half way. Prepare yourself. Using your faith has something to do with staying open to God, being close to God.
Mercy with cheerfulness is a hard one for me. We are all called to be merciful. It's a grace as well as a gift. I need to pray for cheerfulness, all the time.
I just love this list.
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