Sunday's Message - Offering Our Gift of Talents

During the season of Advent, we talked about how we might unwrap some of the gifts given to us by God through Jesus Christ. Well, now that Christmas is over, we're going to shift gears and consider the gifts we might offer God. Beginning on Sunday, December 28, we started to consider the following:

• December 28 - Offering Our Gift of Praise
• January 4 - Offering Our Gift of Attention
• January 11 - Offering Our Gift of Time
• January 18 - Offering Our Gift of Talents
• January 25 - Offering Our Gift of Treasures
• February 1 - Offering Our Gift of Energy
• February 8 - Offering Our Gift of Enthusiasm
• February 15 - Offering Our Gift of Love

On Sunday, we continued this series by looking at how we can offer our gift of talents. Below is a presentation and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Last week, I think I mentioned that we’re coming to the close of the football season. And since I’m a fan of the WVU Mountaineers and the Indianapolis Colts, I understand that, unless you follow one of the eight teams remaining, you’re probably disappointed, and I say that regardless of how you might feel about Mike Tomlin. You see, for us, the season is over. But you know, for anyone who likes the game more than a team, I think I agree with a guy I heard on the radio this last week, that this may be the best three days in the entire year. I mean, yesterday, we had four teams with a combined record of 54 and 16 going against one another, with one of the games ending in overtime. And today, man, if you’re not a little plumbed about the Texans going up to New England or the Rams trying to survive in Chicago, then you probably shouldn’t call yourself a football fan. And then tomorrow, the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers are seeking both perfection and the national championship, and the only thing standing in their way are the Miami Hurricanes. I’m telling you, in the space of three days, we’ve got the chance to see the best football has to offer.

Of course, before we get there, we’re going to spend a little moving forward in the series we started three weeks ago, you know, the one that focuses on eight gifts we can offer God. And to this point, we’ve already talked about how we can offer God our gifts of praise and of attention and of time. And this morning, we’re going to take our next step and consider why and how we might offer God our gift of talents, and right now I’m talking about those skills and abilities that we have.

And you know, when you think about it, it’s kind of interesting that we’re taking this step in the middle of what may be the best three days in the football season. I mean, let’s get real, there was a lot of talent on the field in Denver and Seattle yesterday, just like there’ll also be a lot later today in Gillette Stadium and on Soldier’s Field and tomorrow in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. You see, we’re really looking at some of the best of the best, and I’m talking about all-pros and future Hall of Famers and one Heisman Trophy winner. All these young men not only have the talent to play at the very highest level of their sport, they also made the decision to develop their God-given ability so they could compete in the NFL and Division One college football.

And I’ll tell you, offering God our talents, and I’m talking about our own gifts and abilities, now that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. In other words, we’re going to look at why we should make this offering to God and then we’ll discuss how we might actually do it. And even though I seriously doubt that any of us will be competing for a championship trophy or ring anytime soon, I hope that, by the time we leave here this morning, we’ll have a better understanding of how we might effectively offer God the gift of our talents and abilities.

And as we’ve done when talking about praise and attention and time, we’re going to start by answering the question, why should we offer God our gift of talents? In other words, why is it important for us to offer to God those things that we do well? You know, why should this be something a follower of Christ should want to do? Now that’s the question. And I’ll tell you, I think there are two pretty important reasons for doing this kind of thing.

You see, first, I think it’s important to consider the source, and I’m talking about the source for the talents and the abilities that we have. You see, according to the Apostle Paul, they all come from God. I mean, just listen to what he wrote to the Corinthians. 

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. [1 Corinthians 12:4-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote.

You see, for him, those things that we do well, you know, our natural abilities and skills and maybe even our interests and life circumstances, these are gifts from God. In other words, whether you’re talking about music or teaching, empathy or problem-solving, for us, these inherent talents aren’t the result of luck or even hard work. Instead, they come from God.  And I’ll tell you, just knowing that changes the way we see the gift itself. I mean, instead of seeing this as something that belongs only to me, something that I’ve earned and deserve, offering God what I do well is actually more like returning to him something that he’s already given me. And I’ll tell you something else, the actual gift is unique to me and not something I should compare to others. As a matter of fact, in the sight of God, I think all these talents and abilities are equal. Of course, I recognize that’s not the case in our world. But I believe, for God, being a gifted doctor is just as important to the Kingdom as being a gifted plumber. And those who have the ability to preach sermons or to sing praises, those talents are no more spiritual than the person who can build the pulpit or tune the piano. You see, as Paul wrote, God is the source of all spiritual gifts, and that’s one reason we should offer them back to him.

And second, I think it’s also important to be clear about the reason, you know, the reason we’ve been given the skills that we have, the reason we can do these things that God has given us the ability to do. And I’ll tell you, I’m not sure anyone could have said this more plainly than Paul when he wrote this to the Romans:

God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. [Romans 12:6-8, CEV]

You see, we’ve been given our talents to use. And you know, it’s interesting, as Paul went through his list, they’re all to be used for the benefit of others. And I think that’s really important. Our gifts aren’t just for our own enjoyment or our personal profit. Instead, they really only have meaning when they’re used to help others. In other words, they’re not random, but rather they would seem to play a role in accomplishing some kind of divine purpose, some kind of divine plan. Of course, we may not know what that plan is; therefore, we might not be clear about the purpose. Still we can be sure that we’d all be diminished if that ability stayed hidden under a basket. You see, whether it’s preaching sermons or teaching lessons, patching the pipes or fixing the furnace, offering words of hope to someone who’s discouraged or comfort to someone who’s grieving, I believe every single talent was given by God for a reason. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s exactly why we should offer to God our gift of talents.

But as it’s been with the other gifts, knowing why, why we should do it, well, that may not be as important as knowing how, how we can actually offer to God our talents. In other words, how can we take these specific skills and abilities that we’ve been given by God for a reason, how can we return them to God? Now that’s the question. And I’ll tell you, based on what I see in Scripture, in my opinion, actually doing this involves taking three very basic and clear steps.

For example, if we’re serious about making this kind of offering to God, for me, the first step involves identifying, identifying the talents, you know, identifying those gifts that God has given us and those skills that we might use to accomplish his purpose. As a matter of fact, it’s taking the same approach with our talents that Paul challenged the Corinthians to have with their faith. Just listen to what he wrote:

Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isn’t living in you, you have failed. I hope you will discover we have not failed. We pray you will stop doing evil things. We don’t pray like this to make ourselves look good, but to get you to do right, even if we are failures. [2 Corinthians 13:5-7, CEV]

I’m telling you, we can do the exact same kind of thing with our gifts and talents. I mean, we can certainly decide to look within, you know, to do a little self-evaluation, because those things that energize us and those pursuits about which we feel passionate and those activities that we just plain enjoy doing and that we seem to do well, personally, that might be an excellent sign of a gift God has given. Man, we really need to look within. But you know, to avoid any kind of self-deception we might also want to listen to others. As the Gallagher girls have told me about my dancing, energy and passion and pleasure might not always be the best sign of ability. Now I know what I’m about to say may be taken as heresy, because I recognize that it may be contrary to what we teach now-a-days, but I’m gonna say it anyway. I don’t believe just wanting to be good at something is enough. I mean, give me a break, I might really want to play in the NBA. In fact, I might be all energized and all passionate about being a professional basketball player. But before I quit my job and start practicing free throws, I might want to listen to my wife who’ll tell me that being a slow and short, 68-year-old guy who couldn’t make his high school varsity team over 50 years ago, that might be something to consider before trying to guard Giannis or Luka or LeBron. You see, along with looking within, we should probably listen to others as we identify our talents, step number one.

And second, after identifying them, we really need to develop,  and I’m talking about developing the skills we have. And you know, that just makes sense. A farmer might have the best, most fertile soil in the entire world, but it’s not going to produce a single thing if he doesn’t plant the seeds. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what Paul was suggesting to Timothy when he wrote this:

So I ask you to make full use of the gift God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well. God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. [2 Timothy 1:6-7, CEV]

I guess you could say that potential doesn’t mean a thing, if we choose to do nothing to develop it. I mean, it really doesn’t matter how brilliant or gifted or talented we might be, all that good stuff is going to remain fallow if we don’t choose to make the effort to learn. In fact, I think you could say that natural talent is a lot like a dull axe, it requires sharpening in order to be useful to ourselves and to others and to God. And sharpening involves learning. It demands taking the time to experience things that just won’t happen if we hide away in our room, because we’re afraid of failing. And it demands being open to new information and to new techniques and to new possibilities. And again, that makes sense, and we all know it. I mean, how many of y’all would trust a surgeon who believes that he knew it all before entering medical school? To develop our talents, man, I think we’ve got to be willing to learn. But I’ll tell you something else, we’ve also got to be willing to practice. Book smart is one thing, but there’s a reason people say practice makes perfect. Years ago, I remember asking a chef how he learned to create these wonderful dishes without following detailed recipes. And he told me, “I made a lot of mistakes that I won’t make again.” You know, to develop our gifts and talents, we’ve got to be willing to learn and to practice. And for me, that’s step number two.

And finally, third, to offer this gift to God, somewhere down the line, we’re going to have to actually use the talents that we’ve been given. And for me, right here, the rubber hits the road. I mean, all the identifying and all the developing ain’t worth a bucket of spit if we’re not willing to use our skills and abilities. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what Peter was getting at when he wrote this:

Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. If you have the gift of speaking, preach God’s message. If you have the gift of helping others, do it with the strength that God supplies. Everything should be done in a way that will bring honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever. Amen. [1 Peter 4:10-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Peter wrote, but let’s get real, it’s pretty much the same thing Paul was saying. Our talents only have meaning when they’re used.

And to use them effectively, I think there are two things we really need to do. I mean, for one, we really need to seek out those situations in which we might make a difference and to seek out those people who need what we have to offer. Now granted, sometimes this kind of thing is obvious. For example, based on what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, the hungry need to be fed. The thirsty need to be given something to drink. The strangers need to be welcomed. The naked need to be clothed. The sick need to receive care. And the prisoners need to be comforted. I mean, duh; knowing this isn’t exactly rocket science. It’s right there in the Bible, for crying out loud. But in other situations, the need itself and how we might address it, well, it may not be as obvious; therefore, a little “ask, and you will receive; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” [Matthew 7:7, CEV] might be necessary. You see, for one, we might need to seek. And two, we definitely need to act. We need to apply what we’ve identified, what we’ve learned and practiced. In other words, we need to claim the skills and abilities that God has given us and to use them in order to accomplish his purpose, and brothers and sisters, that’s step number three.

Now I have no doubt, over the next couple of days, we’re going to see a whole lot of football talent on display. Of course, I wouldn’t have expected anything less. I mean, these guys have spent years working on their skills and refining their game and enduring injuries and pain that would have caused a lot of folks to give up. To play at this level, I think I’m safe in saying that these young men are making the most of their talents. And you know, we can do the same. I mean, because God has given us our gifts and abilities for a reason, we can decide to give them back by identifying them and by developing them and by using them. And I’ll tell you, in this way, we’ll be offering to God our gift of talents.