“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 CSB
I saw this interesting analogy on Facebook recently:
A bar of iron costs $5, made into horseshoes it’s worth $12, made into needles, it’s worth $3500, made into balancing springs for watches, it’s worth $300,000. Your own value is determined by what you are able to make of yourself. Author Unknown
How true it is. It’s up to us each individually to use the gifts God has given us. There are spiritual gifts such as exhortation, giving, leadership, hospitality, teaching, discernment, faith, healing, wisdom to name a few. Each of us has been given a very special set of gifts we are to share with those around us. Just as the bar of iron starts out at a net worth of $5, the more it is used in individual, specific ways, the more it’s value increases.
Jesus talks about this in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Each servant was given talents. Talents are monetary units that equal about 20 years worth of labor. The first was given 5 talents, the next 2 talents and the last 1 talent. The first two invested their portions and increased them for their Master; they both doubled their portions. The third buried his and didn’t use it to make any money. When the Master returned, he was furious that he had done nothing with it. As a result, he took the 1 talent away and gave it to the his first servant who had 10 talents. The third servant is like the bar of iron, he had the opportunity to become so much more, but instead, he stayed exactly the same.
What gift has God given you that you aren’t using? If you don’t know, there are great Spiritual Gift tests for free online to help you know what yours are. God has given you everything you need to reach your full potential. He’s there to help you achieve whatever it may be. A favorite author of mine, Erwin McManus, puts it this way:
“God can do the work, but He will not do for you what you’re not willing to step into for yourself.”
Don’t be afraid. Use the gifts God has given you, with Him working with you, the sky’s the limit.
