I have always been a good student. Not perfect, but I knew what to do to succeed and I would accomplish those things. I have been blessed because school was always easy for me. If I had an idea of what I needed to do, I could do it with a minimal amount of time.
I cannot stress the blessing that this has been in my life, I also cannot take any credit for it. I was given a gift for learning just as everyone reading this blog has been given gifts. Each person has something that God has given. Some are talents given at birth, maybe music, or the ability to connect with people, or an undeniable common sense. God also gives us skills or learned abilities. For example, my dad can back a semi-truck with a trailer in a perfectly straight line at what has to be the speed of light. I doubt he was born with that ability, although if he was, it certainly wasn’t passed to his son. The fact is, he can drive extremely well because he has been driving semis since…well forever. Other gifts we are given upon our conversion, the Bible calls these spiritual gifts. Gifts like prophecy, evangelism, encouragement, and hospitality among others are gifts given by God specifically to build up the church. Every Christian is given at least one gift of the Spirit and if you are not sure what yours is I heartily encourage you to begin finding out.
I cannot stress the blessing that this has been in my life, I also cannot take any credit for it. I was given a gift for learning just as everyone reading this blog has been given gifts. Each person has something that God has given. Some are talents given at birth, maybe music, or the ability to connect with people, or an undeniable common sense. God also gives us skills or learned abilities. For example, my dad can back a semi-truck with a trailer in a perfectly straight line at what has to be the speed of light. I doubt he was born with that ability, although if he was, it certainly wasn’t passed to his son. The fact is, he can drive extremely well because he has been driving semis since…well forever. Other gifts we are given upon our conversion, the Bible calls these spiritual gifts. Gifts like prophecy, evangelism, encouragement, and hospitality among others are gifts given by God specifically to build up the church. Every Christian is given at least one gift of the Spirit and if you are not sure what yours is I heartily encourage you to begin finding out.
A few mornings ago I woke up a little early and had a short devotional.
I had been reading out of Proverbs and that morning I read from chapter 10. Proverbs is seems to be a string of wise sayings that don’t seem to connected apart from their wisdom. But when you read an entire chapter some themes come through. The difference between the wise and foolish, the ultimate destiny of each. The diligence of the wise always reaps bounty, The desires of the foolish are forever unmet because of their laziness.
It really hit me then how much I had been wasting. How I believe I am called to a purpose, I have worked hard in years past to achieve what I have gotten. But now I am wasting so much of what God has given me. In fact, I’m using his gift as a crutch so I waste as much time as possible.
My own selfishness and foolishness hit me like one of my Dad’s semis. I confessed and asked how he could still use me. I saw the reality of myself before God. That I can’t even use the gifts he has given me well. Honestly, I have had every opportunity. I have every advantage. I was raised in a Christian home. I was part of the Church from the beginning. I went to Christian schools, had Christian friends, and have on occasion even enjoyed Christian fast food. (Honestly, who doesn’t love Chick-fil-a!) It is so easy for me to think I’m somehow better than someone else who has experienced disadvantage. Yet what have I done with my advantages? All to often I have wasted them. All to often I have lived a life of least resistance. All of this was going through my head when the Holy Spirit brought a new thought to my mind.
In John 6 The Feeding of the 5000, one of the most important miracles of Jesus' ministry, is recorded. It reads,
"After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.(6:1-15)"
My question is, how much did the boy waste before he brought the food to Jesus? Did he drop a couple loaves on the way? Maybe he had some figs for dessert that he ate first. The Bible doesn’t say. Why doesn’t the Bible say? Because its irrelevant. The amount of food that the boy started with is not the point. Say the boy started out with 9 loaves and 12 fish, would it have been easier for Christ to feed the 5000? No; it wasn’t resources or gifts of the boy that fed the people, it was the power of God.
Does the waste of our resources make an impact? Of course it does. But only because those resources weren’t placed into the hands of God. Any gift that isn’t surrendered to God is wasted, its just that some people waste their gifts more efficiently than others. If we insist that we are the ultimate authority in our lives, then we are wasting our gifts. Whether we use them for Grand Theft Auto, McDonald's, and a nap, or for Mutual Funds, kale, and a marathon. Gifts given for the glory of God will always be wasted if used for the glory of man.
Ultimately the wisdom of the Proverbs is the wisdom of the boy. I still have a lot to learn, I still am struggling with taking the gifts of God for granted and wasting what he has given me. But I realize that it is only when I place those gifts as depleted as they might be, into the hands of God that I will cease to waste them.
