Father, may I continually sit in Your presence. May the day of rest not forever be a day of stress. Whatever the new normal becomes may You fill it. May I find that Your blessings overflow it! And in the midst of it all, may my joy be found in You! Amen.
Luke 16:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
We all are given a certain amount of assets of which to make use, or at the least, the gifts and abilities to assist us in bringing those assets into being. Our job is to use those things to the best of our abilities to assure our ongoing capacity to further our lives.
Some are gifted in areas where advanced schooling will enable them to pursue occupations where they can perform specific tasks giving them the capacity to further their lives.
Others are gifted in areas where trades are grasped, and skills are honed to provide much-needed services, enabling them to perform specific tasks giving them the capacity to further their lives.
There are things in life at which we excel…but if we set them aside, we lose the ability to excel at them any longer.
In middle school, I took up playing the trumpet. As time went on, I eventually learned to play the French horn, as well. I really enjoyed the French horn and was first chair in my high school band.
When I went to college, I played in the band my freshman year but eventually, I set it aside to focus on participating in choir and putting more time and effort into becoming a better piano player.
I rationalized that if I was going to be a Minister of Music, that in many settings choirs and maybe even needing to accompany choirs was of greater importance than my continued investment of time in playing the French horn.
Well, things didn’t pan out like I thought they would. I gave up something at which I excelled – the French horn – and invested in something at which I would (at the time) only be mediocre in my offering. (At this point in my life, I don’t even play for my own enjoyment, much less in a church setting…) Unfortunately, I have lost any ability that I did have in playing the French horn.
A gift that I was given, I chose to set down. And because of that choice, the gift has been lost. I am grateful that other gifts that I was given I have used faithfully. I have honed and worked at them. I have prayed over them. And even though they may be difficult at times to maintain, God continues to bless their use.
As Jesus has admonished us all, “If [we] you are faithful in little things, [we] will be faithful in large ones.” v10a God takes those areas in which we are faithful and multiplies them how He sees fit to further His kingdom.
If we squander the gifts we have been given or if we set them down, refusing to use them, they often just cease to be. The phrase, “But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” v10b reflects that mentality.
Lord Jesus, may we wisely invest in the gifts and abilities that we have been given. Though my life did not necessarily go the way that I thought it would, You took what I have and made it what You needed it to be for the furtherance of Your kingdom. Continue to use me as you will. Amen.
Sept 20th, 2020, Sun, 6:19 pm
