Quotes

We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. - Mark Twain

Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. –Vince Lombardi

You do not lead by hitting people over the head—that's assault, not leadership. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going. - Professor Irwin Corey

People, like nails, lose their effectiveness when they lose direction and begin to bend.
Walter Savage Landor

 

Verses

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.

Ephesians 5:17 TLB

A wise person will listen and continue to learn, and an understanding person will gain direction. Proverbs 1:5 GW

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Romans 12:10 NASB

We are not saying that we can do this work ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do. 2 Corinthians 3:5 NCV

Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, Ephesians 3:20 NRSV

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Illustration 1

One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers thrown all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was littered with toys and various clothing items. In the kitchen the dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over the toys and more clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her in the bedroom, still curled in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, “What happened here today?” She again smiled and answered, “You know everyday when you come home form work and ask me what in the world I did today?” “Yes,” was his incredulous reply. “Well, today,” she said…”I didn’t do it.”

 

Illustration 2

Do you know that according to Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone—The number one reason why people do not get involved is “No one asked me.” The number one reason when asked why people got involved in ministry or serving is “Someone asked me.”

 

Illustration 3

Henry Dunant was born to wealthy parents in Switzerland in 1828. A deeply compassionate man, he devoted considerable time assisting and encouraging young people, especially the poor. At about eighteen years of age, he founded a Young Men’s Christian Union.

In 1859 at the age of thirty, Dunant was traveling in northern Italy. He had only one objective in view—to get the support of the Emperor of France for a business project in Algeria. But the Emperor, Napoleon III, was busy driving the Austrians out of northern Italy.

Arriving on the day before the battle of Solferino, Dunant could not believe what he saw. That day the French victory over the Austrians left 40,000 dead, dying and wounded scattered over the battle field.

Dunant never did see the Emperor, but what he did see changed him and the world forever. He joined in the work of relief, sent his friend to bring supplies, and wrote to his friends in Switzerland for aid. He labored for three days at this horrible task. Then he returned home. He began writing. He made an appeal against the terrifying humanity he had witnessed. He hoped he could influence people to prevent or to reduce the suffering of soldiers. The result was that his writings were a book: A Memory of Solferino, printed in Geneva in October 1862.

In the last chapter of his book he made some proposals on make-shift hospitals, trained volunteers, and the necessity for international cooperation. Finally, five years later, at the Geneva Convention of 1864 sixteen nations signed accords—modeled on Dunant’s proposals. For their banner and symbol they chose a white flag with a red cross. And the Red Cross was born.

One person, using his talents, made a difference. You, using your talents, can make a difference.

1. What is a talent?
A talent in the New Testament referred to a sum of money, but is used metaphorically by Jesus to represent our spiritual gifts and abilities. Jesus uses this metaphorically because, like money, Jesus wants us to be good stewards of what we have been given. (Matthew 25:15-28)

2. ­Who gets a talent?
Everyone receives at least one talent to be used to serve others.

3. How do I use my talent?
What do I need to be in order for God to use me in this world? There are six attributes I would like for you to consider when it comes to using your God-given talents to minister to others:

T eachable
Being teachable is having an attitude of openness so you can learn and become better at what you are doing. Now there are some people in this world that think they are right all the time. They have a proverbial chip on their shoulders. Sometimes we don’t have an open, teachable spirit. We hear what others are saying, but we are closed and we end up going our own way.

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. If you want to use your God-given talents you need to remain a student; you need to remain teachable.

The first step in using your TALENT is to remain teachable and open.

A vailable
Why aren’t we available?

1. We are moving too fast.
When you are moving too fast, you can’t see God trying to get your attention. You get into a proverbial spin until one day you spin out of control. When someone asks us to get involved in ministry, the number one reason for not getting involved is what? “I am too busy.” Doing the urgent and unimportant vs. the important is what makes an impact.

2. We like to keep our options open.
We keep ourselves in “drift” mode. On the ocean if your sails are lowered, you are in a position to “drift.” You never drift into success and God’s purpose for your life. You always drift with the current. You don’t drift into being a great teacher. You don’t drift into commitment or a calling. You don’t drift into friendships. No, when you drift, you drift into passivity and powerlessness, then you wake up one day and you are no longer where you should be. Using your talent is about being available to do whatever God wants you to do. We need to have the attitude of Isaiah in the following verse.

After this, I heard the Lord ask, "Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?" "I'll go," I answered. "Send me!" Isaiah 6:8 CEV

Moses said, “Who Me?”

Habakkuk said, “Why Me?”

Jonah said, “Not Me”

Isaiah said, “Send Me!”

L oveable
When I am not filled with love and compassion, I am typically looking out for myself, my needs, my wants, and my life. That’s why the Bible says to 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' Matthew 22:39 NCV When we love others the way we love ourselves, most of us begin to have an attitude of servanthood.

TWO WORDS FOR SERVANT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

In the New Testament, two Greek words are often used for servant. The most common is doulos, which means “slave.” It implies a permanent relationship of servanthood. We are slaves to Christ…always. We are to do whatever He asks us to do…Doulos emphasizes a relationship. The other Greek word, diakonos, primarily emphasizes an activity, not a relationship. It means “one who actively helps and ministers.” ( Disciple Journal 1982. “Going Beyond Good Management” by Douglas Sparks, pg. 9)

 Being a loveable servant means relationship and activity; it means being and doing.

5 Places of our Hearts:

1. Second-place heart
The lower a value we place on people, the easier it is to dishonor them. We see everyone in second place. We perceive certain people that are not in our peer group as less important.

 2. Stressed-out heart
The “routine” of life has outpaced your judgment and you dishonor someone with an unkind word or non-verbal response.

3. Shoved-back heart
This is the “news you don’t want to hear.” They lost your luggage at the airport; you don’t “feel” like you received the service you are “entitled” to at the restaurant.

4. Spiritually-drained heart
Not taking time out daily to walk with Jesus. A daily quiet time and prayer time are non-negotiables of our life.

5. Score-keeping heart
The “they owe me” complex. “They have treated me badly for years so it will be a long time before I can honor them.”

 

E xpandable

Someone once said that people and rubber bands are the same. They both have to be stretched to be effective. When you get involved in ministry using your God-given talents, you will be stretched. You will get frustrated. You will feel discouraged at times.

You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:3-4 MSG

 

N egotiable…Not!

Negotiable means “to arrange a discussion, a settlement of terms, to deal with or bargain with another.”

Getting involved in ministry is not an option. You cannot negotiate with God on this one. I know some of us don’t like the word “MANDATORY.” I am one of those people. It feels a little forceful, kind of a top-down feel. Let me frame it a different way: it is essential and imperative…it’s our obligation according to the Bible.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. James 4:17 NIV

Commit and Omit

What is this verse saying? Well, it’s saying what you think it says. You see, we often think of “SIN” as something we commit: lying, cheating, stealing, etc… We rarely think of sin as something we omit. One commentator says, “Sin is a word, thought or act against the law of God. Sin is doing something God said not to do, or it could be not doing something He said to do” ( International Children’s Bible Dictionary) Sin is not necessarily an intentional act of cruelty.

Archery

The word “SIN” in the Bible is an archery term which means "to miss the mark" or "to miss the target". If you string your bow and hit the center of the target, you have hit the bullseye; you have just taken the perfect shot. Any other arrow you shoot that falls short is called SIN. That’s why the Bible says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 NASB

With the sin of inaction, we not only miss the mark, we never even shoot the arrow.

T ____________

The fill in for this one is a little different. Cross out the “T” and write the ending that we have on all the other words…“able.” I apologize that I didn’t have anything to fit there. Have you ever done that? Apologized to someone or to God that you just didn’t fit. Maybe you have felt like you didn’t fit. You may be saying, “I’m not fit enough to get involved in any ministry.” You may be saying “I am not ‘ABLE.’”

Well let me tell you that God has equipped each and every one of you with a TALENT. You just have to be Teachable, Available, Loveable, Expandable, Negotiable...Not!, “ABLE.” You are able you know. Not because of what you have done or what you will do, but because of what God has done and what He will do through you.

As Paul wrote these words, he was under house arrest in Rome. Christianity at that time was considered a small, troublesome sect of people. Christians were persecuted and often exiled. How, then, could Paul write, “To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”? He could write it because he had personally experienced the power of God in his own life. How can we ever experience God’s power in our lives unless we reach out and get involved? You may say, “How can I have a great year?” My answer, “By experiencing God’s Power in and through your life as you get involved in ministry and serve Him.”

Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time…” Ephesians 5:15-16 Ph

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.

Ephesians 5:17 TLB