Everyone Can Do Something

Do not neglect the gift you have… 1 Timothy 4:14

Shelly rolled from beneath the pickup and sat up with a smile on her grease-streaked face. “There! All fixed, Mr. Bellows. Just needed a couple of adjustments.” As she brushed the dust from her jeans, her elderly neighbor leaned on his cane and beamed at her. “I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t live next door, sweetie,” he said. “You’re such a help to this old man.” Shelly frowned. “Ah, it’s nothing. Just a couple of truck repairs and lawn mowings. Since I don’t have any real gifts I can serve God with, I just help people, but I really wish I had gifts of teaching or prophesying, or…you know, one of those cool ones.”

Have you ever felt like Shelly does? You hear gifted speakers, admire talented musicians, and learn from dedicated teachers who are clearly using their spiritual gifts. And then there’s you. Compared to them, what can you do? Oh sure, you love taking care of other people’s babies, or you’re always bringing stray people home. Sure, they call you when the lights don’t work or the door breaks and you’re the first in line to give or to volunteer, but you want a REAL gift. A spiritual-looking gift. The truth is, you have it and you don’t know it. If you belong to Jesus, then He has equipped you to serve Him in such natural ways that you don’t realize you are gifted to do it. It just feels like YOU. It’s who you are. You were made for this. Whether it’s fixing your neighbor’s engine or leading a revival, God wants to see big returns on His investments. Don’t neglect your gift.

What gifts are you neglecting because you either think they’re not important, or you’re scared to try?

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Fan It Into Flames

…fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.  2 Timothy 1:6

He sat with his face in his hands, staring at the desktop. So many issues. So much need. So many conflicts. He was too young, they said. Too inexperienced. Maybe they were right. Who was he to lead this flock of fledgling believers? Who was he to pastor a church in the footsteps of the great apostle Paul? It had all seemed so grand in the beginning. He had so much passion, such fervor to see the gospel spread and the believers grow in faith. Pouring himself out and seeing God use him had been all he wanted. But now… Now, the struggle threatened to overwhelm the passion. He was tired. Just. So. Tired.

Then the letter came. Conceived in the heart of God and expressed through the pen of Paul, the words on the curling parchment said just what Timothy needed to hear. “Fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you,” it said, and something inside flickered to life. Paul was right. God had gifted him to do this work and God would see it through. He could straighten his back, lift his shoulders, and let press on. This was God's work, not his. When had he forgotten that?

When did you forget that? When did zeal for God’s work become a duty? It can slip up on us. Somewhere between familiarity and busyness, we lose sight of our purpose. But we can rekindle the fire that once burned bright. We can step back, catch our breath, and remember why we’re doing this. When we fan into flames our spiritual gifts, we live with joy and purpose.

Final Thought: Are you fanning into flames the spiritual gifts God gave you?

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The Ground is Yours

“…The ground you are lying on belongs to you….”  Genesis 28:13 (NLT)

The LORD Himself stood above Jacob, pointing at the ground. “It’s yours,” He said. Jacob could have been either overjoyed or angry. On one hand, he had just been given dirt. Lots of it. Rocks, too. What a gift. However, he was able to look beyond the obvious to the real treasure. Rather than focus on the dirt and rocks, Jacob chose to see this gift the way God saw it. It was his heritage. This would be the means by which God would bless him. Because He saw the potential in what God had given him, he could accept the responsibility that came with it.

You are camped on some ground that God has given you. You may see only rocks, but God points to it and says, “It’s yours.” He chose it for you and wants to see what you will do with it. He meets us where we are and wants to bless what He has given us. Your “ground” may be children, a job, your home, or a dream. It could also involve a challenge, a responsibility, or an unwanted burden. What has been your response? Have you seen only dirt? Or do you see it for the amazing gift that it is? Our response determines whether our gifts remain only dirt, or become avenues through which God can bless and use us.

What “ground” has God entrusted to you? Have you despised the situation or position God has appointed for you? God knows what He is doing when He brings things into our lives. He has dreams for us and gives us what we need to accomplish them. He points to His gift and says, “It’s yours.” How have you responded?

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