"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 KJV)
"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth we love by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:18-20 NLT)
When it comes to gifts, the ones that we are given by God, every gift that He has given us, to actually be a gift, it must be put to use! In other words, if you have a gift, such as the gift of healing, if you have never actually healed anyone, then where is the proof of that gift? We are all given something, even the simple act of sharing the Lord to someone; but even that requires an action: You open your mouth and speak!
Real love is also a gift from God! We know this because He loves us; and because we know that He loves us, unconditionally, we have been given the gift of knowing God's love; that love then abides in us, but it isn't of any use, if it is not put into action! Therein is the point of learning to love! It requires us to do something we sometimes fail to do: We must die to ourselves, just as Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to give us life and right standing with the Father!
It just doesn't get more real than that! Yet there are certain things we all have in common, most of which is the fact that we are not perfect, and we will at times put ourselves first, even though we know it is wrong, we will do it anyway. Yes, it happens with the best of us, even with Paul, when he and his friend Barnabus had their argument about Mark.
Much of what we go though in this life is about learning; that is what Pilgrim's do, they learn how to get through this life and come out on the other side victorious...
"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? And comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for you own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:1-8 NLT)