Use Your Gift

Good Morning,

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)
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.

We are reminded in these verses that we are to use the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. Now, some may think that's such an elementary thought that it need not even be brought to mind. I contend, however, that we really do need to be reminded from time to time to use our gifts for the glory of God and for the help and uplifting of all.

Too often we seem to be, well, I guess lazy would be as good a word as any to describe those things that we don't do. There are musicians who don't play music or sing because they "don't have the time" to use that gift from God. There are orators who don't speak, again because of time restraints or some other "reason" (read excuse if you want) that prevents them from speaking. There are those who have the gift of writing who just can't find the energy or motivation to sit down and put pen to paper...or fingers to keyboard in our world today. As Peter mentions, there are those who have gifts from God that have to do with serving in some way, but for whatever reasons, simply don't serve. And, well, you know, the list can go on and on and on of things that people have been gifted with that they don't use.

This, my friends, is a true shame upon those of us who are wasting what God has provided in our lives. It's also, at least in my mind, sinful to just sit on our God given gifts and talents rather than put them to use to bring God the glory.

My question to all of us this morning is simple. What gift has God bestowed up on me that I'm not putting to its fullest use? And, as they say in news conferences, a follow up: Why am I not doing it?

Let us not throw away that which God has given. As I said, it's shameful and, in my humble opinion, sinful.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David