Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The Best In You

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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