One way to live blessed: Figure out what you love to do and do it for God's investment purposes.
My brother Hyatt surprised me with that word, Blessable, while talking with him on my podcast. It came out last week in case you missed it. Here you go:
We talk about art and creativity and the talents that God gives all his children. Hyatt says he's a two-talent guy, and God has definitely doubled those. I'm thinking he has five to ten, but then I'm his sister and his biggest fan.
What does God say about talent?
Jesus tells a story that I forget about more than I should. In case you do, too, here's a reminder:
14 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
16 "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money.
19 "After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, 'Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.'
21 "The master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
22 "The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.'
23 "The master said, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
24 "Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, 'Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.'
26 "But the master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn't plant and gathered crops I didn't cultivate, 27 why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.'
28 "Then he ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25
God is so personal! He gives us talents. But He wants us—no expects us—to use them. How do you react to that thought?
Sue, I don't have any talents to speak of
Sue, I think that's a strange way to think about God
Sue, you may need to get more sleep before writing any more nonsense
This is not nonsense. God loves us so much that He gave us gifts. We are made in His image and He's the Creator, so we are creative in some form or fashion.
High School Nonsense
In high school, I remember thinking, My older sister, Lynnel, can sew - she makes her own clothes, and plays the clarinet. And my little sister, Lori, acts in the school plays and plays volleyball. I can't do anything. (I WAS social chairman of our tiny youth group. That's all.)
Granted. That was High School. All thoughts from HS should be banned as a matter of course. I've come to learn that God's given me some things to use for the kingdom. They take practice to get better. They take time and investment to see if they are the directions God wants me going toward. They take faith because it can still be scary to obey God even when you know He's leading.
So, think about it: What gifts do you have from God?
Are you investing in them?
Do you see a return on your investment?
Do you have joy in the process?
I love that last one. Both my brothers are SO TALENTED, as well as my sisters, and they get so much joy doing what they do. Steve has 18 ukelele students lined up for the Fall. Hyatt is painting for 5 huge conferences between now and Christmas. All amazing and grace-filled, and God looks down and says, "I'm pleased as punch!"
(Steve's podcast on the legacy of music can be heard here.)
One way to live blessed is to figure out what God's given you and then obey him by using those gifts.
How can I pray for you in this? Email me sue@welcomeheart.com.
Here's how you can pray for me - I want to live blessable and be a blessing to all the women I'll be speaking to from now until Christmas. What a treat and a privilege. Come see me if you're nearby any of these places. And thanks for praying! PS If you're on my prayer team, please note an extra one was added since my last update: Dec 8 in Visalia.
PS Here are some gems from my conversation with Hyatt last week:
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Creativity is basically problem-solving.
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God and his mercies are new every morning; I get ideas, solutions, creativity every morning.
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After running from God and then found by Him, I wanted to live my life to serve others the way I had been helped.
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Be humble, but step up to your gifting and you'll get more yet.
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I want to live a "bless-able" life—I can prevent God's blessings by how I live.
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God said, "Be holy for I am holy" which implies it's possible for us but only with his help, Spirit and fullness.
Please forward this blog to anyone who could use the encouragement. Thanks (and you're a blessing!)
Ministry is spillage when I ask God to fill me up with himself—"that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19
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