“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety
of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)
There she sat transfixed on the
just-completed costume she had been creating for the Easter play. A moment
earlier I heard her give kind of a gasp and a little cry – I came immediately,
expecting to find her wounded or the costume damaged. “What’s wrong,” I asked.
She could barely speak. “It’s not me, I didn’t do this.” “Do what?”I asked with
growing concern. “It was God who did this – look, it came out perfect!”
The costume was for Ivan who was playing
the part of the high priest, Caiaphas. Ivan was known for being quite
particular with his costume (this was not his first Easter production), and
with a large, imposing frame he was used to having his clothes tailored. This was Diana’s first Easter production and
she went to extra lengths to get the costumes right – watching as many “Jesus”
movies as possible for ideas, spending hours looking for the right fabrics and
accessories. She had not been able to get Ivan’s measurements, so she “sized”
him up by sight and constructed the costume.
The garment was awesome – a near duplicate
from one of the more “historically accurate” movies we had watched. But would
it fit Ivan? When she brought it for him to try on, he doubtfully donned the
garment, wondering how this “newbie” to the North Hills Christian Theatre scene
could be so confident as to complete his costume without any consultation or
multiple fittings. When he came out to show her the result – he was amazed. It
truly was a perfect fit – and a beautiful reproduction. “My personal tailor
doesn’t make my clothes to fit as well as this – how did you do it?” Ivan
inquired. “It was God; God used my hands and made it come out perfect.”
God gave her a gift – He took the natural
talent she had, added her years of experience as a seamstress, and put it in
the mold of her newly found passion for serving Christ. Then He handed it to
her and said, use this to bless others.
What gifts has God given you? Maybe you
have the talent of public speaking, or fixing things, or listening, or being
helpful, or cooking. Maybe you have leadership skills or are able to see things
that don’t yet exist. Talents and ability and experience alone do not make
spiritual gifts. But when God gets hold of the raw material of your life and takes
you into His workshop, He comes up with the most amazing things. He transforms
the abilities that are often used for personal gain or ego into spiritual gifts
that can help, heal, encourage, inform, inspire and bless others. Then He hands
them back to you and says, “use these to bless others so they will know that
it’s not you – it’s Me working through you.”
That kind of gift is priceless, because as
long as you are living (for Him), it will keep on giving.
T.B.
Think about it: How has God shaped me to bless others? Am I
using those gifts for His glory?
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