You know those talent shows on TV? These folks are really talented, great singing voices! And the guy who can spin 25 plates on the tip of his nose—why can’t I do that? Or the kid who can throw a baseball at 95 mph, or the celebrity who can dance like Fred Astaire… if only I had that talent.
I can’t sing, nor balance plates on my nose, nor fire a fastball, nor dance—but I do have talents. We all do.
Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift of caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God.
Ephesians 4:11
What is your talent? Be intentional as to what you want to accomplish. Let’s make sure we add a few items to our To Do list for Kingdom’s Purpose. The more we focus on the benefit of others, the more it seems like we benefit ourselves. Focus on your area of talent. Are you compassionate? We need compassionate people in our lives. Are you a hard worker? Take on a task for others. Are you a free spirit? Go and visit those who can’t get out and put a smile on their face. Are you organized? Volunteer for a food drive. We are all talented; we just have to put it to use. If we each do our part, imagine the impact, imagine the benefit, and imagine the increase in our own self-worth!
So today, Lord, we thank You for giving us our talent. What You gave us is so special, it was meant specifically for us. We pray that we stretch ourselves each day to expand our talent so that we find ways to use that talent for the specific reason it was bestowed upon us. Lord, we also thank You for not giving us the talent that maybe we wanted, such as throwing a baseball at 95 mph, because we may not have been given the control needed and all we would have done is broken a bunch of windows.
