1 Timothy 4:14-16 - Be
sure to use the abilities God has given you through his prophets when the
elders of the church laid their hands upon your head. Put
these abilities to work; throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone may
notice your improvement and progress. Keep a close
watch on all you do and think. Stay true to what is right and God will bless
you and use you to help others.
Paul reminded Timothy that he had been given a special
charge to use the abilities that God had nurtured in him. Timothy had the great honor to be raised by a
Godly mother and grandmother….who taught him all they could about the
Bible. God made sure this foundation was
noticed by Paul…who saw the potential this young man had to preach and teach.
We have all been given special abilities to use for Christ. Go
back to Romans 12 and read the many verses there that describe just a few of
the special gifts God gives everyone that believes in his name. Some of us are
given more than one. All of these gifts have the same purpose….to enhance and
teach the gospel of Christ…to help us exercise the spirit within us so it will
be strong enough to fight the evil of the world.
Paul makes a great point in this chapter. Our gifts need to be used to grow and be the
best they can be. Just looking at a piece of equipment meant for toning our
physical body reaps a pretty picture in our head. It does nothing till we engage our body in
the machine and use it to tone the part of the body it was meant for. Looking
at our Bible….or just reading a passage…does nothing to embed it into our
heart. The verse or truth has to be applied in some way to our life to become rooted
in our heart and soul.
I admit that it is very hard to be completely honest in our
estimate of our gifts. Satan will fight
us even discovering them….then will try to convince you that you are not good enough
to use them for anything. Paul was
reminding Timothy….and God used this letter to remind us…that He is in control
of every gift He gave us…He has a plan to use it to help His kingdom grow…to
give Him glory. He does not want us to be afraid to sing the first note in a
choir… teach the first lesson in a Sunday School class… or write the first word
in a devotional. God lays His hands on each of us and empowers us with
everything we need to use His gift to the fullest. All we do in letting them sit idle is waste
God’s power.
Sure…there will always be people that have the same gift…and
they may be better at it than you. It isn’t about the amount of the gift you
have been given…it is about how you use the gift He gave you. Excuses only make
satan smile in victory. A weak attempt to use what God gave you is better than
no attempt at all.
Father…thank you forte reminder that you have given me gifts
to help you spread the gospel. Forgive
me for the times that I over or underestimate the power of what you have given
me. Help me to reflect honestly on the
gifts you have given me and find ways to develop them to the fullest….so that
you can use me to increase the kingdom of God.
Amen.
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