1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalm 44; 1 Timothy 2

My drive time to work in the morning is an extended part of quiet time I’ve had with the Lord.  Some mornings I can’t get it together and fly out the door before even acknowledging God.  But I can depend on having at least 35 minutes of uninterrupted time in my car as I drive to work.  Some of my most profound moments have been in that quiet time. There are mornings so beautiful the praise flows in spoken prayer.  Sometimes I listen to music and praise at the top of my lungs because it is in that space I can sing like no one is listening except the Lord.  Other times there are tears streaming down my face as I think about how good He is to me and how grateful I am for all that He continues to do in my life.  There have also been times when the tears are from a place of pain as we’ve worked through some trials, some pruning, and places of brokenness.

7 You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
    you disgrace those who hate us.
8 O God, we give glory to you all day long
    and constantly praise your name. (Psalm 44:7-8 NLT)

This week’s readings spoke to me about the quality of what I do for God.

Solomon had received instructions from the LORD on how to build his Temple. We learn in a previous chapter that he had asked for a master craftsman to be sent from Tyre.  The brass maker, Huram-abi, was sent.  I can imagine he took his time and created each intricate piece to be placed in the temple. He was giving God his best.  These articles were going to be used for the sacrifices and glory of God in His holy temple.  God created him to have this talent and he painstakingly used his gift for the articles God had given instruction to create.

So at last Huram-abi completed everything King Solomon had assigned him to make for the Temple of God:

12 the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the two networks of interwoven chains that decorated the capitals;
13 the 400 pomegranates that hung from the chains on the capitals (two rows of pomegranates for each of the chain networks that decorated the capitals on top of the pillars);
14 the water carts holding the basins;
15 the Sea and the twelve oxen under it;
16 the ash buckets, the shovels, the meat hooks, and all the related articles. (2 Chron. 4:12-16 NLT)

I thought of my own gifts and talents.  Where has He asked me to use them? Am I giving Him my best?  Do I do everything with excellence or are there times I do just enough to get by?

I have noticed the difference when I serve God with what I think I am supposed to do vs when I am actually serving doing what He has called me to do.  With the later, somehow I never tire, am full of enthusiasm, and the time flies.  If someone gives me praise for what I’ve accomplished, I quickly point to God and give Him the glory for I know it was from Him I was able to do whatever it was.  However, there have been times when I did things out of a place of insecurity and wanting people to notice me.  There is no fulfillment in me when that happens, no joy, and I feel drained.  Over the years I have learned it is never good to strive to do what I want to do.  Learning to listen to God for those opportunities draws me deeper into relationship with Him.  It always amazes me how He sends me to the exact place, to the exact person, or the exact event where I can use my gifts and talents. When we all are acting as our part of the Body of Christ, we can see God make lasting change in people’s lives.

Heavenly Father, I continue to look to you to do what only You can do through me.  I never want to miss out on an opportunity to serve you, to be Your hands and feet, and fulfill my place in the Body of Christ.  My soul is filled when I empty myself and my motives and give You control. Thank you for letting me share the story of what you’ve done in my life with others.  In Jesus name, Amen

Cindy (gardnlady)

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Genesis 26; Matthew 25; Esther 2, Acts 25

Strengths, talents, and abilities. These are the internal resources that are essential to identify in those who struggle with addiction, low self-esteem, depression, and many other problems that cause impairment in day-to-day functioning.

Our Lord places in each of us gifts – talents, if you will. I remember taking one of those Christian surveys to determine my gifts so as to find my niche for serving the church. Organizational skills, faith, people skills were some of these identified gifts and abilities.  Even choosing a career was easy because I was drawn to a field where my strengths were needed.

For some people, however, knowing one’s talents or having the confidence to use those talents may be difficult. Many times life events have interrupted the development of these gifts from God – childhood trauma, extreme loss, disabling conditions, mental health disorders, etc. And some of us are simply unaware that what we have been given is something to use for God. Take Esther, for instance. She was “lovely and beautiful.” Those two words combined means she was in today’s world, ‘a perfect 10; model quality.’ Yet, growing up with her uncle Mordecai, both of her parents deceased; I can imagine that her beauty was not always appreciated. Girls can be jealous and vicious to the prettiest girl in the room. Who would have thought, however, that Esther would win the first beauty pageant in the Old Testament and become queen of a kingdom? Yet, at some point, Esther realized that she needed to hone her talent, gift of beauty and prepare for the big event. Until then, did she know her beauty would be used by God to position her to save the Jewish nation?

Sometimes I struggle with motivation or desire to use the abilities gifted by God. What happens when we tire of the ongoing work it takes to stay sharp, to keep producing excellent work, or to give so much of our time and energy to what God has called us to do? The parable of the talents in Matthew describes how God views our disregard for His giftings. Those who have much and use what they have been given for God’s glory are given more; those who have little but hide their ‘talent’ (the money to invest in this case) will lose even the little they were given. This isn’t about rich versus poor. This parable is to remind us that we are charged by God to be about doing His business. He will be pleased with our attempts to use the talents and abilities He has placed in us.

In the end, we all want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” Whether we dig ditches (think of Isaac’s talent for finding water and digging wells!), are persuasive orators (think of Paul’s eloquence in talking with kings and leaders), are skilled laborers, artists, counselors, stay at home moms/dads, and every other purposeful place of service, do all in the great name of our God. Let Jesus Christ be our model of sacrificial service, perfect obedience, and joyful giving to others what He enjoyed with His Father, and we, too, will find joy in honing and using our gifts for His glory!

 

Janet

Lev. 15; Ps. 18; Prov. 29; 2 Thess.3

I love the quippy way Proverbs 29 just lays it all out … stubbornness, wickedness, flattery … they all get punished!

This weekend, our sermon was about humility … and I land on Proverbs 29:23.

“A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”

Pride, humility–it is a tricky thing.  I know there are times in my life that I have been prideful about my humility.   To be honest, I have been falsely modest at times, perhaps even used “humility” to “fish for compliments”.    I also know that humility is not about negative self talk.  Humility is not berating yourself or comparing yourself to others.

I think humility is about a right perspective on ourselves and our relationship with God.  Knowing that we all have been blessed with gifts and talents, we should be using these gifts to bring glory to God (and not ourselves).

Thank you, Father, for two reminders in two days about the importance of humility.  Keep me mindful of my natural inclination toward pride and remind me of the beauty and joy that comes from true humility.

Karen (from the archives, originally published April 11, 2011)