09/28/2022
What gifts do we have that do not come from God? We like to think that our skills, abilities, characters, and even our faiths in Jesus, are from us, but they are not, however, the way in which we use them is of us. We can choose to use them well, or for dark and self-serving purposes. So, how have we each decided to use the gifts that we have been given in our lives? Have we convinced ourselves that our abilities come from our own efforts, and are manifest by in hard work and self-developed talents? Do we believe that our faith comes from within us, or from God whose Spirit abides in us all?
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
When I was a boy I noticed the physically handicapped children in my school, and I watched as those with mental disabilities struggled but were unable to perform as others did. These kids failed at the tasks that ot09/29/2022 - Using the Gifts We are given
What gifts do we have that do not come from God? We like to think that our skills, abilities, characters, and even our faiths in Jesus, are from us, but they are not, however, the way in which we use them is of us. We can choose to use them well, or for dark and self-serving purposes. So, how have we each decided to use the gifts that we have been given in our lives? Have we convinced ourselves that our abilities come from our own efforts, and are manifest by in hard work and self-developed talents? Do we believe that our faith comes from within us, or from God whose Spirit abides in us all?
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
When I was a boy I noticed the physically handicapped children in my school, and I watched as those with mental disabilities struggled but were unable to perform as others did. These kids failed at the tasks that other students found easy to accomplish. I also saw children who were gifted enough to have none of these encumbrances as they teased, and picked on, the disadvantaged among us. Combined with my faith, this taught me something about who I was, who those less gifted children were, and a lifelong lesson about life, and God. I began to understand the words of Jesus…
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”
John 5:30-31 KJV
I can’t remember when the epiphany occurred, but I realized that I had done nothing to make myself as I was physically and mentally, and neither did the special needs children. It dawned on me that God’s hand was in the formation of us all, and that neither the Einsteins of the world nor the young boys in my class, who struggled to write their own names, had anything to do with their abilities. I realized that I had no part in my athletic ability to win all the races on field day, just like the little girl in my neighborhood with cerebral palsy did nothing that resulted in her handicap. This early epiphany resulted in my ability to love those who were less fortunate, and through this understanding I formed a deep friendship with Gino Palm who lived next door, and who could neither hear nor talk. It also inspired me to dress up in a kangaroo costume one Christmas and visit the little girl down the street who was wheelchair bound, and entertain her. Do we use our God given gifts as we should?
“Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
Proverbs 16:19 KJV
My grandfather could play any instrument… it was a gift. Try as I might I could not play anything beyond the spoons, a kazoo, and a juice harp. I tried to learn how to play the piano for seven years and never progressed beyond a few simple songs. I tell people that I took one year of piano lessons seven years in a row… you see, I did not receive the gift that my grandfather did, but I did have a love for music, and for that I am grateful. God gives us gifts, now it is up to us how we will use them. Do you ever look in the mirror and ask yourself what your gift(s) are? Then, do you examine how you are using them?
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
James 1:17 KJV
As for my friend Gino, he was a humble and caring boy, and this was a gift he had that allowed me to befriend him… me, a roughneck army kid, drawn to him, a gentle soul. As for the little girl with cerebral palsy, her gift was much more complex… she exuded happiness from her wheelchair, and her condition brought out the love and caring of those around her. That is another lesson I learned later in my life, and that I pray we all learn at some point in our lives… some gifts reach outward, while others reach inward; some make us spiritually famous like Billy Graham, while others bring out the spirituality of others like the little girl in a wheelchair. Some gifts reveal Jesus to us, but others show the lost of the world what Jesus looks like in the flesh as the Lord abides in us.
“But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”
Matthew 10:19-20 KJV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gifts you give us in life. Thank you for the gifts that reveal you by the great things you do in us through them, and for the gifts that look pitiful and hard to see to those in the world, but bring out the love, kindness, and faith of others. Thank you for the Olympic athletes of life, whether they are amazing in their mental and physical abilities, or are Special Olympics athletes who are amazing in their innermost selves and bring out the best in each of us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God whose gifts are always more than they first appear to be. Praised be your name for the glory that even the most obscure of gifts brings you. Merciful are you who takes those gifts that bring suffering and hardship to us in this life, and makes them into our joy and treasures in heaven. Wash us clean in the blood of Jesus, and take away every sin through Him. Find us worthy in judgement as we reflect you through your Son Jesus Christ in all we do. Find pleasure in us Father, and in what we have done with the gifts you have provided us. Let the first be last and the last be first. Reveal the secrets of your blessings to those who have been given much, and to those who possess the least… one giving to the other in amazing ways from whatever gifts you have given them.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’”
Matthew 25:34-36 ESV
Rich Forbes