Seek Spiritual Gifts

Elder Oaks said, “We know too little about spiritual gifts. This is evident in our communications, and it is also evident in our failure to seek after and use spiritual gifts” (see here).  This was given nearly 30 years ago, but I think in general it is still true.  One of the invitations of the scriptures to us is that we should seek after blessings from our Heavenly Father, particularly spiritual gifts.  The Lord told the Prophet Joseph: “That ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given” (D&C 46:8).  We are to seek “earnestly” after the spiritual gifts that the Lord is willing to grant to us beyond the Gift of the Holy Ghost that all members receive. 

                Many scriptures invite us to desire and seek after spiritual gifts.  After Moroni listed out many of the spiritual gifts, he said, “And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will” (Moroni 10:17).  I take the “he will” in this verse to mean us—we must desire to have these gifts come to us.  The Lord said to Hyrum, “Thou shalt have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in faith, with an honest heart, believing in the power of Jesus Christ” (D&C 11:10).  Similarly Paul invited us to “follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts” and to “covet earnestly the best gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31, 14:1).  He taught specifically that we should “covet to prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:39).   More than just a casual wish, the Lord wants us to really seek and yearn for the gifts of the spirit.  Mormon told us that we need to “search diligently” and “lay hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:19).  All of these scriptures imply that to obtain these spiritual gifts we must sincerely yearn for them and seek them out with real effort. 

                     Modern day leaders have likewise emphasized the importance of seeking for the gifts of God.  Like Paul, President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “All members of the Church should seek for the gift of prophecy, for their own guidance, which is the spirit by which the word of the Lord is understood and his purpose made known” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 3 vols., Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co., 1953, 1:201.).  Elder George Q. Cannon said that God “gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth” (Millennial Star, Apr. 1894, p. 260.).  So it seems that our own level of desire is much more important to obtaining spiritual gifts than our abilities or talents.  Here’s how Elder Oaks put it: “We should seek after spiritual gifts. They can lead us to God. They can shield us from the power of the adversary. They can compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections” (see here).  Perhaps the only thing that is really stopping us from obtaining the gifts of the spirit is our own lack of seeking and desiring.