Today’s WBLMinistry Devotional is titled ”Turning Your Gifts Into Value”. Let us look at the following Bible passages as we begin this devotional.
Proverbs 18:16; ”A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before the great”
Gift, according to thefreedictionary.com is one’s talent, ability, capacity, genius, power, bent, faculty, capability, forte, flair, knack, and aptitude.
Turning Your Gifts Into Value
Value, according to thefreedictionary.com is also described as something Worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor. It is also described to be something regarded highly or held in high esteem.
According to 2 Timothy 2:20, in the household of Faith, the great house, there are four different vessels, Vessels made of Gold, Silver, wood and earth. Among these vessels, some bring honour and some dishonour. Depending on the service rendered, the value of these vessels can be assessed.
Assessing your giftings, are you a gold, silver, wood, or earth (Clay)?
Discovery of giftings beyond the current paycheck
Gideon (Judges 6-7) was threshing wheat in the winepress of his father out of sight of the Midianites who were oppressing the Israelites. God, through an angel, visited him and said, “God is with you, O mighty warrior!”
Gideon replied, “With me, my master? If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, ‘Didn’t God deliver us from Egypt?’ The fact is, God has nothing to do with us – he has turned us over to Midian.”
The reply from Gideon is no different from many young believers today. Many believers have read in James 1:17 that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” and yet are currently working in places underutilizing their potential.
The Parable OF The Talents
Many have also read the parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 and wonder if God also deposited in them His Gift.
God faced Gideon directly: “Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven’t I just sent you?”
Gideon said to him, “Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan’s the weakest in Manasseh and I’m the runt of the litter.”
God said to him, “I’ll be with you. Believe me, you’ll defeat Midian as one man.”
A careful analysis of this dialogue reveals that God has deposited in every man, a gift, an ability, strength, and capability to fulfil His purpose and bring Glory to His name.
Gideon considered himself the weakest among a weak family and yet he was a warrior threshing wheat in the winepress.
Let me hasten to add that ‘threshing wheat’ is no menial job and perhaps Gideon was satisfied doing it as it presented an opportunity for him to get away from their oppressors but note that God saw a different pursuit that will eventually liberate them from the oppressors’ rule.
Lou Adler, author of “Hire with your Head and the Essential Guide for Hiring” wrote in an article about 4 different types of jobs: thinkers, builders, improvers, and producers. Here’s what people in these job types do.
– Thinkers produce an idea
– Builders convert the idea into reality
– Improvers make it better
– Producers do the work in a repeatable manner to deliver goods and services to customers.
A typical job could have a mixture of all but at least one may be dominant.
Carefully examine your present situation: Are you a thinker but currently find yourself in a producing environment? Are you an improver but currently in a building environment?
Nehemiah found himself in a producing environment, serving in the Persian royal court as the personal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. (Nehemiah 1-2). He had his heart and mind in the building environment, that is, rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.
He served one person while a cupbearer, but he had discovered his gift was to serve the entire city of Jerusalem.
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, Nehemiah took the wine and gave it to the king. His sad countenance prompted the king to ask, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
Nehemiah was very much afraid, but said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to him, “What is it you want?”
Then Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven, and answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
Prayer to God is one sure way of discovering where your gift is needed.
Don’t limit the use of your gift to your current job. Your church, community, municipality, and city may be in urgent need of it. Be open!