Wednesday, October 19, 2022

The Responsibility of Your Ability – The Vault

October 19, 2022/in Bible Study, Week 2

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I’m not sure about the church you grew up in, but at mine, the children went off to Sunday school, while the grownups had devotionals, a sermon, and choir music. The kids were more involved on Youth Sunday (once a month) and during Christmas and Easter pageants, but other than that, it didn’t seem like church was for children.

Sunday school didn’t dive deep enough, but somehow we were expected to automatically transition to listening to the main message when we were old enough. We were always there, but as kids, we had to be quiet while the adults received their lessons from the preacher. We never learned how to grow into our spiritual purpose. Many of us grew up believing only those who were “called” were tasked to spread the word. I didn’t know the message of the gospel was alive within me.

I naturally began moving toward my personal purpose in my early adult years, but I didn’t recognize the spiritual aspect of it right away. It took some time to realize my art was also my ministry, and when the push came to do more with it, I kept it to myself. I feared my voice wouldn’t be heard or no one would listen.

Matthew 25:24-25

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’”  

All the servants in the parable were called to do something with what they were given, but the third servant, who received the least, hid what he had been given. In the 1992 movie, Gladiator, the character Miss Higgins has a great line, “Talent is a common thing. People waste it every day. They abuse it. They take it for granted. Success comes not from what God has given you but from what you do with it.” Either the third servant didn’t see the value of his worth or he was afraid to step out in faith. He, like many of us, wasn’t ready to trust God. He wasn’t ready to just do something.

I don’t always trust, but I’ve been learning how to do it more. It started with finding where I could serve in the church, but more and more, I’ve found opportunities for my ministry (spreading the message) at work. Clients ask to have scripture added to the stories I write for them, and some ask to close our interviews in prayer.

Seeing the changes that occur when I focus on the gospel outside the weekend message is amazing.

Questions:

What’s stopping you from using what God has given you? Do you know that we are all called to a spiritual purpose?

Next Steps:

Find moments to share the message in everyday life by asking others if you can pray for them, inviting someone new to church, or asking a friend to join a Group.

Take GrowthTrack to unlock your spiritual gifts.

Prayer:

God, give me the strength and courage to continue to share your truth with wisdom and intuition in fresh ways, even if I have to color outside the lines. In the process, help me encourage others to share the gospel using their gifts. Amen.