Your Talent Isn't Yours

We live in a very selfish world. I am one of them. I like to have things my way. I like to do things what I want to do. The plot thickens when you want what you want and they are different. That is our society.

This also reflects to a different part of our culture. We tend to be anyone but the Good Samaritan. We walk on the other side. We totally ignore. We are too busy to care. This also plays into how we use our talents.

With reference to the story of the Good Samaritan, they all had the ability to care for a victim. They had a talent that they refused to use...care. So many of us have talents and we tend to think they are our talents. However, I was listening to a cool new show that came out this spring on FOX and the main character said the line (I hope I quoted it right) that makes up this week's quote...

"You've got it all wrong. You have a talent and it isn't yours. It is to be used for other people." - "Cal Lightman", character from Lie to Me

The premise of the show is an agency that studies facial expressions to determine if one is lying or not. I don't know how true it is, but there are probably some true expressions that indicate different feelings. The workers interview and study people to see if they are telling the truth, and if not, why. All these characters have a talent, which is put to good use. However, the main character said at the end of an episode the line above.

WOW!

It hit me. My talents are not mine. They are given to me to be used for others. Just like your talents are also.

As talents are as broad as any spectrum, so the uses span that much further. That is a huge net that is able to help people.

You have a talent, but do not hoard it. Use it to help others. Don't allow yourself to pass on the other side of a situation by not helping out, be like the Good Samaritan and use your talent to benefit others! Don't get it wrong and think that your talent is yours....'cause it is not!

Reminding myself that my talent isn't mine...

He Bore Our Sins - I Peter 2:20-24

What have you done that you felt guilty over? Break something of someone else's, lie to someone, or any number of other things. Guilt causes us to carry baggage that we are not equipped to carry. Too much will weigh us down. When it comes to our sin problem, it is nice to know that Jesus bears our sins, so we don't have to bear them.

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus and how He took the sins of ours and placed them on His body, so that His sacrifice could take them away. Here are some applications to use from this lesson...

1. Give Him Your Guilt ~ We've all sinned. Some are very impacting on our lives. Make it a regular practice to give Him your guilt by confessing your wrongs. The wrongs of the past may be lurking, depending on what they were. If they were "washed away", then they are no longer on the record books to be judged against. Acknowledge the wrongs and leave a lot "lighter".
2. Confess Your Wrongs ~ When you've done something against someone else, practice the action you were taught since you were a child...Tell them you're sorry! Sometimes, just making the call or "coming clean" can make all the difference in the world. It is probably worse on you than it is on others (depending on what it is).
3. Breathe a sigh of relief ~ As Jesus has "bore our sins", praise Him for doing so, but then take a deep breath and sigh with a sense of relief, knowing what He's done for us.

Once you do not have to carry the guilt or you've confessed to the crime, you can breathe a sigh of relief because that baggage is no longer weighing you down. You may have to suffer the consequences, but you don't have to carry the weight.

Walking lighter...

Monday Mentionings: Empty - Words - Job 35:9-16

One week closer…for some it is closer to Spring Break, for others it is closer to Tulsa, for others it may be a simple deadline, for others it is closer to sharing Jesus with someone you’ve been praying/thinking about, or it may not be closer to anything specific. Regardless, the past has gone, the present is here, and the future is to come. What will you do with your future? How will you help someone understand the fullness of God better this week? As we have been looking at the concept of empty, and yesterday, looking at empty words, here are some applications that you can put to use in your life…

1. Have you ever jumped into something that was more shallow than you thought? Whether it was a pool, one of those pits with the colored plastic balls, or a conversation with someone? The result may have been painful. The same result happens when we give in to any empty words of people, especially the ones that affect our faith. Be aware that Satan knows who to send your way and how to affect you. As you go about this week, keep watch for ways in which Satan is trying to get you to “jump in” to something that has no depth!

2. Sports teams, bands, employees of a company all have in common that each person has a particular role. Sports teams have different titles based on where they play on the field/court and their responsibility. A band member has a particular instrument to play to fulfill his part. Employees have specific titles or specialty areas which they are responsible for accomplishing. The Body of Christ has different members that have a particular talent to accomplish great things for God. When Moses got his assignment from God to lead the Israelites out of captivity, he said, “Who should I say sent me?” God’s awesome, straight-to-the-point answer is, “Say, I AM sent me.” As we are out in the world this week, may the words of God encourage us in our own walk to do our part in carrying out God’s plan to save man! How will you team up with the rest of us to do that?

3. On a scale of 1-5, where’s your faith? One being you’re struggling to believe in Him to five being anything God asks you are doing everything you can to push through any uncomfortable feelings to accomplish (be it evangelism or worship style). If you’re not a five, what would it take to get you there? Something from someone else or something that you and God need to work on together – either way, I pray that you will do what you can to move up from where you’re at. Don’t let the noise of the world drown out the voice of God.

People may disappoint us with empty words, but God’s words are so full that they never will!

Hope you have an “open door” week!

Filling up on Him ~