Canyon

Has anyone ever told you that you have charisma? Well, if not, then let me be the first. The Greek word for spiritual gift is charisma, which comes from the root charis, meaning grace. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:1, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” So what do we need to know? Each member of the Body of Christ (including you) is given a spiritual gift, maybe more than one: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). These gifts are given because of God’s grace and not our own worthiness: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Romans 12:6). These gifts are for the purpose of growing and building the Body: “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16). Paul explains that we are blessed with various gifts and talents “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…” (Ephesians 4:12). Now it’s time to unwrap our gifts! Click on the link to take a spiritual gifts assessment and find out more about who God lovingly created you to be. As we exercise our spiritual gifts, we build the Body of Christ.

One thing our economy has taught us over the last couple of years is that investing is risky. Sometimes you come out ahead, and sometimes you experience a net loss. This principal applies not only to investing our money, but also to investing our talents and abilities. Regardless of the risk, however, God expects us to invest our abilities. Remember the parable of the talents? Jesus told the story of a business man who was preparing for a long journey. Before he left, he gave different amounts of money to each of three employees, expecting them to invest wisely on his behalf. To one employee, the business man entrusted five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent. (It is worthwhile to note that one talent was worth more than a thousand dollars, a hefty sum for the day.) The first two employees put their money to work, doubling the original sums. The third, knowing his employer was a man of very high expectations, was afraid of losing the money, so he hid it in a hole in the ground. Upon his return, the business man commended the first two for their excellent work and expanded their responsibilities. Regarding the third, though, “the master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand [dollars] and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb” (Matthew 25:26-29, The Message).

Notice that the master did not become angry with the third man for investing and losing. He was angry that the man let his fear get the best of him and hid his talent; he didn’t even try. What is Jesus telling us with this parable? The Master entrusts varying talents in varying degrees to each of us and expects us to invest them on His behalf. I think He, too, would acknowledge that investing is risky—sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Investing our talents can be intimidating. We can feel vulnerable, especially when we first put those talents on display. And what if we fail to meet our own expectations? So discouraging! I have known plenty of people who would rather not try at all than to try and then fail. I think this is the key: Our Master calls us to faithfulness; He calls us to try. We exercise our talents, and His grace allows the success. As God was preparing to dispatch His talented new military leader, Joshua, into the Promised Land, He told him this: “Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take” (Joshua 1:9, The Message). So go ahead and admit it: You have talent! As you discover those talents, don’t be intimidated. Take them out for a spin! Just try! God is with you every step of the way, and His grace will allow the success.

~Leah