Daily Devotional for Monday January 28, 2008

Use your Gifts and Talents for God

(2 Timothy 1:6) > One of the great things about God is how HE has given gifts and talents to > His children. Each one of us is unique. To one He may give the gift of > music, yet to another the gift of helps. To one He may give the gift of > science, yet to another the gift of athleticism. To one He may give the > gift > of compassion, yet to another the gift of evangelism. ALL good and perfect > gifts come from God! YOUR special gifts and talents come from God. > > The purpose of your gifts, of your talents, is to better serve and glorify > God with your life. God does not give us gifts and talents to hide them, > to > hoard them, but to USE THEM for HIS GLORY! Sadly, many of those God has > gifted have sold their gifts to "the world" for fame and fortune. This is > a > trap that many of God's most gifted people fall into. In the end, they > sadly > realize that they sold their soul to the devil himself for a little > adulation and a few dollars which have little meaning in the big picture > of > life. > > We all have choices in this life. We all come to a crossroad at times when > we can choose the Lord or this world. I almost cry when I see today's most > popular entertainers thanking God for an award they won singing about > things > 100% opposed to God, wearing clothes that they would be embarrassed to > meet > God in! They are torn. Many were in church as kids, know in their heart > that > they are "selling out," and trying to fit God into "their world" as > opposed > to surrendering themselves to fit into "HIS world!" They have SOLD their > gift on the open market and try to appease God with their "praise God" > when > their lives (which is what HE is interested in) are anything BUT a praise > to > God! > > One of the hottest shows on TV is still American Idol on FOX. It is a > nationwide search for a new pop superstar. I watched it several times and > the Lord told me, "there are many young men and women, many older men and > women, who have NOT bowed their knee to Baal, NOT sold out to fame and > fortune, who use their gift in the church for HIS GLORY not their own > glory." Some of the most gifted musical artists are not known to anyone > but > their own church. > > In 2002, I was honored that Liveprayer sponsored a nationwide search for > the > most talented Christian music artists that are in our local churches > today. > It honored and featured the most gifted Christian music artists that have > NOT sold their talent to the world, but honored the Lord Jesus through > their > music! > > We had over 1,000 people enter this contest, and after our judges who had > many years in the Christian music world narrowed it down to the final 20, > we > allowed our subscribers to vote for the eventual winner. Kayla Powell, a > dynamic young woman who was only 16 at the time was the eventual winner. > She > has grown into an incredible young woman of God who continues to this day > using the incredible gift God has given her to bless many with her music. > > I love you and care about you so much. I pray today that YOU allow the > gifts > and talents that God has given to you to be used each day for HIS glory. > EVERY child of God has some gift. It may take counsel from those you are > closest with to help you to identify your gift. Listen, there is NOTHING > WRONG with earning a living using the gifts God has given to you. Please, > don't get me wrong. It is our gifts that allow most of us to earn the > money > that we need in this life. What I am talking of is not simply using your > gifts to make money, but to never forget that God gave it to you to touch > the lives of people for HIM! > > If a person has been given the gift of music, there is nothing wrong with > using that gift to generate income to live on. To NOT use that gift to > glorify God is when a person has sold out to the world. Singing of sex and > romance to make money and not the greatness of God is an absolute SELL > OUT! > If you have the talent to make $1 million singing for "the world," then > you > have the talent to make $100,000 singing for God. The choice becomes > singing > to the world for $1,000,000 or singing for God for $100,000. To use your > gift for God or money. > > God loves you so much. Even though you may never be famous by the world's > standards, the ONLY one that it is important to impress is HIM. HE is > impressed when you take the gifts and talents that He has given to you and > use them to bring honor and glory to HIS name. I pray today that you not > only identify your gifts and talents, but use them to honor and glorify > God. > In the end, HE is the ONLY ONE that you must please!