“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well….” Rom 12: 6a (NLT). The tragedy with religion is that it attempts to prepare us for heaven while failing to help us live a life here on earth. So it ends up emptying instead of filling us, enslaving instead of liberating us, impoverishing instead of enriching us. Everyman has a purpose (buried inside) here on earth on our way to heaven. The gospel is supposed to be a blessing and the blessings of God maketh rich and added no sorrow.
In every man God has deposited the ability to be a blessing to himself and his generation. That grace, that ability, that gift is what I call a blessing from within. There’s a strong need, therefore, to make full use of the gifts, skills, and talents God deposited in us. In 2 kings 4, a woman ran up to the prophet Elisha complaining that her husband served the Lord well but had too many creditors before he died. Now, the creditors have come to take her sons as slaves in repayment of the debt. Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you? WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE HOUSE? And the woman replied I HAVE NOTHING, EXCEPT A POT OF OIL. Now, Elisha first wanted to know what she has in her house, what her capacity is. What God has deposited in her because he knew that it is vital in solving her present condition. Did you hear me? The gift inside of you is a vital part of the solution to all your problems. And her respond is typical of today’s Christians, I have nothing…. We always think we have nothing, we don’t realize that the “except” or the little “pot of oil” is all God needs to add glory to your story.
It’s all God needs you to use and live a fulfilled life. The little ability or blessing you neglect, God can multiply in the unimaginable measure. Then Elisha told her to borrow as many vessels as she can and she did, hundreds maybe even thousands of drums and containers. And God multiplied the little pot of oil she called “nothing except” and asked her to sell some, pay her debt and live on the rest with her family. She became a renowned oil dealer. An enviable business guru of her time I presume. From what? A pot of Oil in her house, a tiny gift in her heart, the pot she didn’t see as anything as compared to her need at the time.
Beloved, It is true that God can bless us from external sources. God can rain unprecedented favor on you that the world will be confused how you landed that lucrative job when you didn’t even finish your college degree. But hear me well, that is hardly the case. It is easier for God to multiply your effort, to expose a talent you already putting in use, to promote and prosper you through your gift, than to create a mystical blessing for you. Why is it easier? because it takes way more prayer, fasting and commitment to cause God to create than to cause him to multiply. In fact when 90% of your blessings are in the hands of men, my dear you are in trouble. They can choose to disobey God and not bless you. You will switch prayer pattern and change church until you become tired and may give up If care isn’t taken you may start worshiping men. God forbid! Not when God has a gift for you waiting to be employed and exploited. So brethren two things should make you stay where you worship.
The word of God and the work of God (progress in life). I have heard people join the church as millionaires and five years later they are broke as hell. Religion!!! So heaven conscious you forget that there’s an impact to be made on earth. No doubt the bible says that you may prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. Because the generations await the manifestations of the sons of God. That blessing of prosperity lies within you. Hear the description of David in 2 Sam 16;18 “…a talented harp player. Not only that he is a brave warrior, a man of war and hath good judgment. He is also a fine looking young man and the Lord is with him” And that is all David needed to win Saul’s favor, or to defeat Goliath or to become one of the greatest kings and prophets to the extent Heaven called him “ The man after God’s heart”. His harp to pacify Saul, his bravery to defeat Goliath and his good judgment to rule over Israel. And off course, his good looks made him lovable by the people.
It’s often said that Talent is God’s gift to you, but what you do with it is your gift back to God. So how can we become a blessing from within?
*Discover your gift. If Peter didn’t know how to catch Fish he would never have been made a fisher of men. That thing you do to perfection with very little effort, that is your gift. Don’t learn nursing just because you want an American Visa. Tomorrow you forget a needle in a patient’s butt and go off to answer your phone. When you hear a natural born teacher in class you know, and the one who only went to ENS for greener pastures too. See Eto’o cannot envy Bolt. One runs after a round object in a square for 90mins, the other has made millions and in all has not run up to five minutes. What do they do? They run. Easy to neglect at youth right?
*Secondly, Develop your gift. Practice makes perfect. Become better or become obsolete, it’s your choice. You can’t be pitching the same song as a praise leader year in year out. People go tire, that’s how humans are wired to be progressive. Go for voice training, listen to other songs too etc, improve and become better. Some skills are learnable. Put your head and heart to it .
*Lastly Deploy the gift. 1 Cor 12;7 says the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit .Profit according to the dictionary means, to use, to exploit, to be of benefit to someone, and finally to benefit. Typically to make financial gain. That’s why the new living translation says spiritual gifts are meant to help each other. First use that gift to be of service to the church and to society and then make financial gains from it. I pray for you as I pray for myself, that on the last day when we stand before God, we shall have no gift or talent left in us, for we must have fully used it to be a blessing and get a blessing here on earth in Jesus mighty name. Don’t look too far in life, don’t depend so much on people you become a nuisance, just look within and start something, yes, that thing you are passionate about, that thing you have spent so many years studying that blessing. Yes deploy it and may the Lord bless the work of our hands. #HundredPercentJesus
Brother Cham Formoukom
BaretaNews Contributor
