Naturally Gifted

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

There are only two words to describe Alison as you watch her with her softball bat: "naturally gifted". We hear this all the time, but what does it mean? Just what is says. Swinging a bat comes easy for her, it is like she was born to do it. Without any prior experience or coaching, she can out hit many of the girls that have been playing and practicing for 2 or 3 years.

If you have a problem with the statement made by Paul above that we are all born to die because of our sin, think about your natural giftings morally and ethically.

Did you have to go to a seminar to learn how to lust after that "hot" bodied person? Did you struggle to enjoy keg parties and self serving sex? Are you going through a huge learning curve to learn to focus more on yourself with your money, time and efforts? Do you have to get a college degree in craving more money and rich foods?

While we all battle different temptings, but let's be honest and say that our natural giftings reflect our sin nature. We come by it naturally, as we inherited it from Adam our father. Our nature is to sin and to die.

Christ came to offer you new birth and a new nature, His. It is only when we are born again in Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit that our giftings will be from life and producing life. If that doesn't occur, they will be of death and producing more of it.

Sin is not a myth. It is a fact and we all are born with it in abundance. The question then is: have you truly been born again in Christ? The answer will become clear as you examine what you do naturally. Is your nature Adam's, or are worshipping Christ as you are walking in His Nature?

Thing about what you do naturally and compare that to this list found in Galatians 5.

Natural things (verses 20 and 21): sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies

Things of the Spirit (Christ's nature) verse 22 &23: love, joy, peace, patience, gkindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control