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...