The greatest gift, and the most excellent way

“But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 12:31
In the Corinthian church, the believers has been given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but were misusing them. They were being competitive with them, much like those today who teach that speaking in tongues is the sole evidence of being baptised in the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is not for our own kicks or to draw attention to ourselves, but rather to build up the body of Christ. For this reason, Paul says that prophecy is greater than tongues, because unless the tongues are interpreted, they only edify the speaker (1 Cor. 14:17-19).
This brings about another question: what is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit? Well, it depends on the situation. A word of wisdom may be the greatest gift, when someone is seeking Godly advice. Or the gift of healing may be the greatest gift, when someone is sick. The greatest gift is the one that is best suited for the situation. It’s like saying, which is better – a hammer or a screwdriver? It depends what the task is. A hammer can’t screw in screws, and a screwdriver can’t hammer in nails. Which is better – a fork or a spoon? It depends if you are eating soup, or if you are eating steak.
Paul immediately follows this by saying, “And now I will show you the most excellent way.” He then leads into chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, the ‘love’ chapter. If we have love for people, it doesn’t matter what gifts we have or don’t have. Conversely, if we don’t have love for people, we can have all the gifts in the world but not edify them (1 Cor. 13:2). Seeking the gifts of the Spirit is all well and good, but there is a more excellent way that we should be seeking above them – the way of love.