Tuesday,3rd November 2026

Alex Buabeng-Korsah

TOPIC: RECEIVING WHAT GOD FREELY GIVES 

Theme Scripture: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:12)

 

PREPARATORY QUESTION

1. What do you try to earn that God has already given?

 

Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, draws a contrast. There is "the spirit of the world," and there is "the Spirit who is from God." Each shapes how a person thinks. One trains us to value status, strength and self-made success. The other trains us to value Christ.

Notice the verb. We have "received" the Spirit. We did not earn him. We did not find him. He was given.

The purpose is stated plainly: "that we might understand the things freely given us by God." The word "freely" matters. Salvation, forgiveness, adoption and hope are not wages. They are gifts. The Spirit helps us see them as gifts.

This is where many believers struggle. We accept grace at the start, then drift back to earning. We measure ourselves by output. We assume God's approval rises and falls with our performance. 

Paul then describes how he teaches. He speaks "in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit" (1 Cor 2:13). This same Spirit is the one who supplies him with wisdom—God's wisdom. Such that he interprets spiritual truths to spiritual people. Thus, the message and the method both come from God.

Reading the same chapter and the verse 14, we see the other side. The natural person "does not accept the things of the Spirit of God." To him they are foolishness. He cannot understand them, because they are "spiritually discerned." This is not an insult. It explains why argument alone does not convert anyone, and why the carnal man struggles with spiritual things even when he attempts them.

Also, by the Spirit freely given to us, we are always patient. When people reject the gospel, they are not merely stubborn. They need the Spirit to open their eyes. So we preach the gospel clearly but also pray for the move of the Spirit.

Key Takeaway

Everything we need from God is given, not earned, and the Spirit helps us see it.

Beloved, grace is not only how you start. It is how you continue. Stop working for what Christ has already given.

Remain blessed.

 

 

 

FURTHER READING 

- Romans 8:15-16

- Ephesians 2:8-9

- John 14:26

- 1 John 2:20, 27

 

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD 

1. Where do I act as if God's approval depends on my performance?

2. Who am I trying to persuade by argument that needs the Spirit's work?

3. How can I   one gift of God today with thanks?

 

PRAYER 

Father, thank you for giving what I could never earn. Forgive me for working to deserve your love. Help me to see your gifts clearly through your Spirit. Open the eyes of those I pray for. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

 

One-Year Bible Reading Plan

2 Chronicles 36; Hosea 4; Acts 20