The Order

"Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name... Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you." Matthew 7:22-23 (NIV)

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I once believed that operating in power was proof enough of relationship, that gifting was the same as knowing You.

This verse unsettled that assumption more than any other.

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Power without character can still call You Lord, and still be a stranger to You.

You never asked which came first because You never intended them to be separated at all, but if I must build in order, character has to come before power, or power becomes a costume worn by someone You do not actually know.

I called my gifting proof of closeness.

It was only ever meant to be the overflow of it.

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Forgive me for treating power as evidence of intimacy.

You do not just want my hands doing mighty works.

You want to actually know me, and be known.

Spirit who knows me, let my character be as real as any gift I carry.

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A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for warning me before I mistook gifting for knowing You.

Thank You for calling me to character first.

Let me be known by You, not just useful to You. Amen

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