"By his word and Spirit he guides us, using even our mistakes to bring blessing." - Edmund P. Clowney
Has anyone ever asked you to take on a service responsibility, and you reacted in fear? You knew you were qualified to do the job, but what if you failed? It's safer to say "no" than to risk letting people down.
There are a lot of us who want to play it safe, but, you know what? Living the Christian life in all its fullness requires risk.
I was recently asked to take on a responsibility I wasn't expecting. When I began to pray about it, it wasn't long before God reminded me of the Parable of the Talents. The master was going on a journey and gave money to three servants to invest for him. When he returned, two of the servants were commended for their faithfulness because they doubled the money by wise decisions and, probably, some risk-taking. The third servant, though, was so afraid of losing the money, of making a mistake, that he buried his allocation in the back yard to keep it safe until his master returned. The master was not happy about his safety-first choice!
As I read that story, I realized two things. First, God had given me talents that could be put to good use in the task I was being asked to do. And, second, God seems to be more pleased with my willingness to try than with my fear that I'd fail.
Do you have any God-given gifts that you've buried? Maybe it's time to dig them up, dust them off, and put them to work. It's worth talking to him about.
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. . ." - 1 Peter 4:10
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