What's Your Talent?

“His master replied 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters happiness!'” Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

No, that's not the talents we're going to be talking about. We're going to be talking about that special gift that God has blessed you with. But, you say, God has given me more than one gift. You may have the gift of leadership or encouragement or discernment. But these aren't necessarily the talents that I'm referring to either.

Or are they?

Here's the definition of Gift:
-A thing given willingly without payment; a present.
-A natural ability or talent, such as “a gift of comedy”.

Well, that really doesn't narrow it down either. So, I guess that you're just going to have to figure out for yourself just what your gift(s) is(are).

The fact is, we all have them. One of mine, is writing. It's the way I have of communicating to you and others that I find most effective. See, while I am an effective verbal communicator, I really don't want to talk. I'm much more comfortable sitting here at my keyboard, typing out my thoughts in a way that's, in all likelihood, easier for you to understand. Now, I'm not implying that you're dumb or anything like that, I'm saying that I am a hard person to get to know. Some of you are like that too, so you understand where I'm coming from. I write these columns once a month, trying to express my thoughts in a way that men will understand, and from a Biblical point of view.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, you might be asking yourself, … well, if you're not going to be talking about Matthew 25, why is it at the top of this article?

Because God works in mysterious ways, my friend!

What's your talent? Is it singing, playing a musical instrument, teaching, coaching, playing basketball? C'mon, I can't list all the possible talents that you might possess here. I'm only allotted about a thousand words. So, you need to throw me a bone and figure it out for yourself. And, I can hear some others among you saying, … I don't have a talent, to which I say, horse hockey! We all have them. You just may not realize it. Maybe you sing in the shower. Or maybe you played the guitar once in a fourth-grade recital, but you haven't picked up your instrument in four decades. Whatever it is, it's there. Are you a carpenter? An electrician? A computer engineer? A doctor or a nurse? Only you can answer that.

Well, I guess if you're one of those things, other people might be able to tell it.

But, I digress. Many of you have hidden talents. God gave them to you. So, stop being shy about it, and fess up! Because it's time that you started using them for Him! You should be singing in the choir, or playing with the Worship Team. You should be teaching a Sunday School class or coaching Upward Basketball. There's serving in AWANA, working in the kitchen, being a greeter on Sunday morning, or maybe you can find that faulty light switch in the gym and fix it. Or, you might plan the next mission trip – and they don't have to be to a foreign country, either. You could plan to wash cars on a Saturday morning, or have a bake sale. There is, almost literally, no end to the number of ways that you can contribute, not only to your church, but to the community in general. There is a way for us to show the people that we don't see every week just a little bit of Jesus' love.

“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?'”

“Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand'”

“'No,' Peter said, 'you shall never wash my feet.'”

“Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.'”

“'Then Lord,' Simon Peter replied, 'not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!'” John 13:6–9 (NIV)

Just try and count all the ways that Jesus blesses us in our daily lives! Just one day! I bet that you can't do it! Go ahead and try! I'll wait …

Seriously, imagine all that Jesus, not only has done for us, but will do for us! And don't even include eternal life in the equation. Who are we not to do for Him?

“But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” James 2:18-19 (NIV)

It's time to act! It's time to get off our duffs and do something worthwhile for Him! We are all good at something. I don't care if it's building model fighter planes! Start your church's first model aircraft club! Start a knitting club (if that's what you're really into)! Heck, start a shooting club! I don't care what it is. And you shouldn't either. Why? Because everything that we do, we should do it for Him! I'm pretty sure that I read that somewhere. But it's not just an excuse to get together and enjoy a common interest with others. It's imperative that you make the event an opportunity for Christian fellowship. Open and close whatever you do with prayer. Share Christ! That's what it's all about! God gave us all talents … and interests that we enjoy. Do something, anything, and soon!

Because, He deserves it.

And remember,

“You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things.”

Just imagine what it might lead you to!

The battle is on!

Ephesians 6:10-18 and 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Coming soon! Reflections of the Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles book 2.

G. J. Fortier is a member of Ironmen Ministries and First Baptist Church, Centerville, GA. Look for his novels on Amazon on Kindle and paperback. Or visit his website at www.GerardFortier.com