February 19, 2024

One of the best challenges I ever received was from my board chair in Pennsylvania. He was a hospital administrator and a phenomenal leader whom I had a lot of respect for. One day, as we were having lunch together, he complimented me on my preaching. He laughed and said, “I often have no idea where you’re going when you start, but you manage to tie it all together.” I laughed and thanked him. Then he said, “You know, you’re not only really good at speaking. My guess is that it comes pretty easy for you. Your challenge is not going to be putting something decent together every week to share. You can do that with no effort at all. Your challenge is going to be seeing how God can take this wonderful talent you have and make it the best it can be!” Those were some of the wisest and most challenging words I’ve ever heard.
The man Jesus gave five bags of silver to could have easily made one more bag. Most people would think a 20% return on investment is pretty good. Or he could have worked a little harder and made two or three bags more. A 40-60% return on investment would be fantastic! But instead, the man given five bags worked hard and effectively until his master returned. He saw the five bags he was given as a sacred trust, worthy of his best effort. So when his master came back, his return was 100% on what he’d been given. That’s the kind of return God deserves.
So, what are you doing with YOUR “five bag” gift? Whatever it is that you do best or have been blessed with abundantly, are you giving your best effort in return? If you’re a gifted teacher, do you use your gift to not have to prepare hard to teach or do you put that gift to work to take your class experience from good to REMARKABLE? If you’re a gifted musician, do you show up late having not looked at the music because you know you can play it without practice, or do you show up well-prepared, ready to play in a way that brings honor to the God who gave you that gift? Giftedness can make us lazy and careless, or we can honor our giftedness with greatness. To all of you who have been given much in one area of life or another, honor God with your gift. Don’t lean on it like a crutch but develop it fully and use it thoughtfully to give God a full return on His investment in you. Don’t give God “good” when you’re capable of GREAT! A five-bag investment deserves a five-bag return. That’s God’s Word for you today.