Waste.
To give up something useful; to use something carelessly, making it useless to anyone else. We do it all the time, tossing out that third slice of toast because no one wants it, or driving about a new city aimlessly instead of trusting our GPS.
How about our children? Can we waste them, give them up, make them useless to anyone else? We’ve seen it, the faces on the milk cartons or the angry and confused youth on the evening news.
Let’s bring it home spiritually. Are our gifts from God permanent, or can they be wasted if we don’t use them for his purposes?
Ephesians 2:8 tells us our first spiritual gift from God comes through our salvation:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Romans 11:29 says each and every gift of God is permanent:
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
1 Peter 4:10 directs us to use our gifts to benefit the body:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
Colossians 3:17 warns we can’t take the credit for what God has given us:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
1 Corinthians 13:8 reveals the best gift we can receive:
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
Matthew 28:19 denotes the purpose of our gifts, to win others to Christ:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Is that slice of toast lost forever? Yes, as far as its use for breakfast. However, it will continue to serve a purpose as compost, eventually providing nutrients for life elsewhere on our planet. Can we reclaim our time gone as we wandered the city needlessly? No, but others will profit from the gas we burned and the tolls we paid.
What about our children? Who benefits if we waste them? Not us, certainly. Gun manufacturers, drug lords, or the employees of the prison system, perhaps. To us, however, our children are lost.
What happens when we don’t use the spiritual gifts the Father bequeaths us? Is there any way to predict the outcome of our irresponsible behavior? In fact, there is. Jesus has already told the story. It’s in Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of the Talents. Verse 28 gives us the outcome:
“So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.”
Use it or lose it. It’s a fact of life. What we are given by God is ours if we put it to good use. If we’re lazy and don’t feel like bothering, God sees our lack of motivation, and he’s about to take our gift and give it to someone who will make better use of it.
Staying on the ball for God means God stays on the ball for us.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Thanks to Contributing Author Diane Dunn for providing the concept and content of this article.
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