Word for Today, Mon, 07 Nov 2005: Using Talent
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Our pastor just finished preaching a message about prayer and using
our talents in the service of the Kingdom of God. Each and every one
of us can pray, and of course, when we do so, God can show us areas in
our lives where we can serve Him.
Without a doubt, any of us who are genuinely followers of Jesus Christ
ought to be able to share the hope that is in us and why. Of course,
not all of us are real articulate, and some of us are downright shy.
Can God still use us? You can be certain of it. IF we can breathe,
God can use us.
Some of us are mechanics, some of us are writers, some of us are
teachers, some of us are computer experts, some of us are business
people, and so on. Each of us has a place where we can make a
difference. Some of us have even been through intense trials and
struggles, which uniquely equip us to comfort and counsel others when
they encounter similar circumstances.
Each one of us can do good when we seek God first and allow Him to
mold and change our hearts.
Read what Larry Davies has to say about this in his current edition of
Sowing Seeds of Faith.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
______________________________________________________________________
Sowing Seeds of Faith...
Every year our website combined with the resources of our church help
selected children across the US have a better Christmas. We have
already started receiving requests. Here are two samples:
Name: Penny, Address: glasgow ky., Email: mailto:muggbugg@glasgow-ky.com
Comments: I wish for you to pray for my children I know that they will
have nothing for Christmas this year and it's tearing my family
apart. I just don't know how to tell a little child Santa not coming.
But God is with us.
Name: Linette Jenkins, Address: Camden, New Jersey, Email:
mailto:jenkinslinette@yahoo.com
Comments: I am a 34 year old single mother with 2 children. I am
having a financial hardship during this Christmas holiday. I do not
have the money to purchase Christmas gifts for my children this
year. Can you please pray for me that a blessing will come through for
my children and I thank you and God bless.
You may support our Christmas Child fund. All donations are used to
help families selected through our website. All donations to the
"Christmas Child Fund" go straight toward families in need of help for
Christmas. We never use this fund for anything else. Please consider
helping a child today.
"Christmas Child Fund" -
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Christmas.Child.Fund.htm
-------------------------------------------
Most churches including ours, at this time of year are busy preparing
budgets and organizing stewardship campaigns. Although money is
certainly an important part of our faith, stewardship involves a lot
more. The Ten Dollar Challenge combines money, our talents and a
healthy dose of faith to create a powerful lesson. In addition we see
the wonder of God's miraculous hand in the everyday.
"$10 Challenge" Larry Davies
At a church board meeting, I asked: "What if our church gave $10
to every family in our congregation and challenged them to use their
creative abilities to multiply the money for God? Then in two months
we can hold a celebration Sunday where everyone can share how they
handled the $10 challenge."
There was a long uncomfortable silence.
Jesus once said: "The Master called together his servants and gave
them money to invest for him while he was gone. He gave five bags of
gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the
last - dividing it in proportion to their abilities - and then left on
his trip." (Matthew 25:14-15)
I sensed mental calculators throughout the room working overtime
adding up the total cost of my crazy scheme: (approximately $4000.)
The church board response was less than enthusiastic but taking a leap
of faith (and my personal guarantee to make up money lost) they
reluctantly granted approval. Days later, a few leaders quietly pulled
me aside and asked again: "Are you sure about this, Larry?
I honestly wasn't sure how the "$10 Challenge" would work... but I
knew God wanted us to do it.
"The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to
invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of
gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant
who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the
master's money for safekeeping." (Matthew 25:16-18)
Weeks later, near the end of Sunday worship, every family in our
church received an envelope with $10 and instructions: "Suppose you
were handed a $10 bill with a challenge to multiply and use it for
God? What would you do? The Bible has a story about three servants who
were given various amounts of money and told to manage it. Two
servants invested wisely and returned a profit. One buried the money
until time to give it back. The two wise servants were rewarded and
the lazy servant was punished. The lesson: We are to invest God's
resources wisely." (from Matthew 25:14-30)
"You are limited only by your talent and imagination. You can buy
ingredients and bake bread or cookies. Offer to cook dinner for a busy
family or buy gasoline for your lawn mower and cut someone's
grass. Instead of going out for lunch, brown bag and apply the
savings. Pray for guidance and have faith God will supply an idea. In
two months, we'll have a celebration service to share what
happened. We are going to have a great time and hear exciting
stories. I pray you will have a story of your own."
As people filed out of the sanctuary their reactions seemed mixed. A
few were excited but many were concerned. "What can I do with
$10? I don't have any talents," said one woman. One member
laughed and said, "This is the only church I know that has ever
handed me money." Another, with a somber look said, "Larry,
I come to church to escape stress not receive more. I don't know
what to do."
"Pray!" I responded. "Pray."
"What talents do I possess?" emailed Sue following the service. "I
understand you don't want me to hold the money. You want me to use it
to help others and multiply my resources so many would benefit. Maybe
our pastor is just plain crazy and it is a dumb idea but I know in my
heart God is teaching me a valuable lesson. I am stressed out over
what to do. I called a friend and told her about the $10
challenge. "What a great idea!" she said. "You're a great cook so make
cakes and sell them."
"Dear Larry: After careful thought about what to do with the $10
challenge, I was stumped for a few days. I kept going back to the
Scripture of the talents and couldn't help but take the word "talent"
literally. God has blessed and given me abilities and talents which I
use to help others. I've been sewing since I was 12 and put "many
miles" on my sewing machine. I designed and constructed clothes for
the Dance Academy for years. I used my $10 to purchase thread and
supplies for ballet costumes for 10 dancers and am happy to share my
reward." Joan
Next week: The exciting conclusion to "The Ten Dollar Challenge."
Read Sowing Seeds of Faith... everyday! Click here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/Devotions.htm
Are you receiving prayer concerns from around the world? Join our
prayer team today. Check it out by clicking here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm
How can I regularly support your ministry? Become a Sowing Seeds
Ministry partner. Click here:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/ministry_partner.htm
Jesus said: "You are the light of the world - like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light
under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all."
(Matthew 5:14-15)
"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a Better
Life" now on sale only through our
website. http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
__________________________________
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
farechase.yahoo.com