At the end of last week, the Lord gave me a gentle yet pointed rebuke about my gifting in art. While I had a totally different devotional topic planned, the Lord told me to put it on the back burner because He wasn’t done expounding on His gentle rebuke. Therefore, my beautiful Diamonds, dive with me into embracing your gifts.
I have always had some sort of love and talent in crafts and visual arts, but I’ve always deemed my talents as mediocre at best. There are members of my own family that can draw circles around me, not to mention others in the world. That is when the Lord rebuked me about criticizing and dismissing what the Lord has given me. Yes, there will always be others that are more talented and seemingly more qualified than me, but that is absolutely no excuse to criticize and not use what the Lord has given me. Our friend Moses got rebuked for the very same thing.
“But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
Exodus 4:10-14 ESV
When the Lord calls you to use what He’s put in you, it does not matter what you think of your capabilities or other’s opinions may be. You use them to the best of your capabilities for His glory.
Just like in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the master gave servants stewardship over different talents, and expected a return.
““For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
Matthew 25:14-18 ESV
“He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 25:24-30 ESV
The Lord does not want back what He has given us, or else there would be no reason to give it to us in the first place. He wants us to take what He has given us and invest in it, cultivate it, grow it, and increase it for His glory. He wants the INCREASE!
Don’t be caught like the fig tree that did not bear fruit! (Luke 13:6-9; Mark 11:12-14). We can bear fruit and increase in all seasons if we just stir up the gifts (spiritual and natural) that the Lord has put in us.
Extra encouragement: 1 Peter 4:10-11; Romans 12:6-8