What Do You Have to Give?

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Hey Gang:  Have you ever run into a person that you literally drooled over with envy?  I did.  It was in my high school years, when confidence was something that I struggled with.   He (Larry) was the lead musician in the band, an outstanding football player, the number two scorer on the basketball team and one of the most popular dudes in the school.

But, with all these things going for him, he lacked one thing – he did not have a driving zeal to use his multi talents to succeed at anything.   When I finished my tenure at Altoona High School and, by mutual agreement they would give me a diploma and I would fade into the sunset, I lost contact with Larry. 

Years later I ran into a friend from my former years, and, in our reminiscing about the “bad old days”, Larry’s name came up.  I had visions that Larry was probably the president of some prestigious company and had a beautiful house on knob hill, but was in for the shock of my life when I learned he was working in a factory putting the right front tire on cars on an assembly line.

Have you ever tucked yourself away in an isolated place and considered your talents and gifts?  Have you ever considered the one thing you do better than others?  This can give you a clue to your God given purpose.

The gifts God gives us are like the little seeds planted inside us, BUT, for them to be anything but seeds, we have to use them.  Larry was blessed with mucho seeds but lacked the drive inside to share them with others.

Peter put it this way, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10).

Soooo, young lads and lassies, let me share a neat piece of advice for these very tough times: 

I ran into a past staff member who shared a wonderful story about a very dark time in her life.  God had worked it out that she and I arrived early for a meeting and, in the interim waiting for the others to arrive, I shared some very tough times I had experienced in my life and how I learned that God is the supplier of good and perfect gifts.    My challenge to her that day was “decisions are acts of our will.”  We choose whom we will serve. We choose whether will be filled with the joy of the Lord - or allow Satan to take us down the “Prime –Rose –Path.