God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of
spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the
gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you.
Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy
that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus
Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11
I have done a number of presentations on the idea of utilizing
your strengths. It is my favorite topic this time of year because I first
was enlighten by that very topic then. It has molded me in a number of ways.
Various tests have told me that my greatest strength is my heart for others,
and it impacts everything I do. For example in high school, it took me
forever just to write a 500 word essay. I’m guessing some of you who have read
my devotions are laughing right now at that very idea. Some have even
outright told me, “Kent, you might want to shorten some of those
down.”
However, the thing that has changed from my high school days to my devotion
writing is what God has placed on my heart. My best writing always comes
when God inspires my heart to say things about His love and grace. It is
the relationship I have with Him that encourages me to love on others and
challenges me when I want to distance myself from them. That is my
strength, and I do my best to release it to all who I come into contact with
because they then see the best in me. They see what God sees in me.

Our talents and strengths are a reflection of what God has
instilled in us, and they are to be shared with the world. Most of us
choose to use our talents at work or display our strengths only at home.
However as the latter part of today’s verse clearly points out, it asks us to
“Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies." Not a
lot of room for partial effort here. Do you ask yourself are my spiritual
gifts shared not only with family and friends but also coworkers? Do you
volunteer for causes that could benefit from your talent? These are questions I
have asked myself only to realize that I fall short and need to take corrective
action. You see, this is not optional for followers of Jesus Christ. We
must share our time, effort, and talent with our church and community for if we
are not, we are unfortunately part of the problem. If you are unsure what
you can offer, do not let it discourage you. Just show up! We will never
know what we are capable of unless we just try something. It could be as
simple as helping a child in a reading program or as complex as constructing a
church on a mission trip. Whatever God inspires you to move on, act on
it.
God created this incredible individual called ‘you!’ You are
strong, beautiful, and a gift from an almighty God who we are humbled to be in
His service and is indeed worthy of praise! He has instilled in you gifts
whether you realize it or not. Our mission is to not shelter them for a
select few. Today’s verse says, “Use them well to serve one
another.” That is our purpose. What gifts do you have to offer in
your church or community now? Will you stop hesitating and start trying
to serve today? My prayer and challenge is that we stop sheltering ourselves
and display what God sees; the best in you. Amen.
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