One day, I was speaking with someone very dear to me. He was troubled by something someone had said to him. The person told him that he was like a man with many talents but was only using one. This remark left him deeply concerned. Wasn’t he doing enough? Had he lost time, or was he wasting it? What more could he do to fully maximize the gifts and talents God had placed inside him?
Such thoughts can easily keep one awake at night. At that time, he ran a private business that required him to offer his services in various locations. It was a fulfilling job. He was also faithfully serving in his local church and had volunteered in a ministry outside of his home church, one that aligned with his passion. Yet, he still wondered what more he could do to fully walk in all that God had deposited in him. I truly could relate to his confusion and pain.
Honestly, at that moment, I did not have an immediate answer. But one thing I have learned is the importance of studying the Scriptures not just for personal spiritual growth but also to be equipped to defend our faith, articulate our beliefs, and share the gospel in a holistic manner whenever the need arises. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 1 Peter 3:15 also says“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
When you prepare diligently over time, immersing yourself in God’s Word and walking in obedience, you will find that when the moment comes for you to speak, you will simply open your mouth, and the Holy Spirit will fill it with the words He has impressed upon your heart or placed on your lips. As Jesus said: “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” (Matthew 10:19-20)
Gifts and Talents Unfold Over Time
Many of us have been blessed with multiple gifts and talents, one divine assignment that expresses itself in different ways. However, I believe we do not manifest all these gifts at once. Instead, they unfold progressively. One gift, when maximized, leads to the unveiling of another. As we continue in obedience, we find ourselves walking fully in God’s will while utilizing all He has deposited in us.
The will of God does not unfold in our lives as a sudden dramatic event, like the Big Bang. Rather, it builds up over time, layer upon layer of obedience and faith filled steps. As we yield to Him, He entrusts us with greater responsibilities.
Matthew 25:29 says: “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”
The one who is entrusted with little and proves faithful in using it well will be given even more. Even if it means taking from someone who has mismanaged their portion, it will be given to the one who has demonstrated responsibility and wisdom in stewardship.
Think of Gifts and Talents as Responsibilities
I like to think of gifts and talents as responsibilities rather than mere abilities. Viewing them this way helps me see them as divine assignments, errands given by God to fulfill His purpose.
For example, if I am blessed with the talent of drumming or the gift of singing, I would be better off understanding the gift of singing as an assignment to lead God’s people in worship. I have heard of countless people who are now doing great exploits for God, yet their first role was simply volunteering as drummers in their church.
As one blessed with the gift of singing, my responsibility would be to create an awareness that God must be worshiped. Because of this, God may send me to a small local assembly or to a larger congregation to carry out that assignment.
Many people began their journey by singing to make God known and later found themselves called into pastoral ministry. As they faithfully served God with their singing, He gave them another assignment, pastoring or even teaching, having groomed them in His Word and truth. Perhaps they were called to a small assembly, leading people in worship, and as they obeyed, God expanded their responsibility.
Over time, He further entrusted them with the responsibility of establishing more churches, teaching others what they had learned. Eventually, this same person, having faithfully served as a minstrel, a pastor, and an apostle, finds himself called into the Christian drama ministry, acting out kingdom principles. Later, he is inspired to write books, and the assignments continue to unfold.
Years of Obedience Lead to the Fullness of Gifts
If you follow this progression, you will see that one man has served God in multiple capacities over the years. Yet, none of these assignments came all at once. They built up, step by step, through years of obedience and faithful service.
Looking at such a man in his forties or fifties, you might feel as though you are wasting space, achieving nothing, and becoming nothing in comparison. But if only God would take you back to the early years of that man’s journey, the years of intense pressure to grow, the trials and tests that shaped and refined him, you would see that his success did not happen overnight.
If only God would unveil the behind the scenes process, you would see that his life is a testament to years upon years of obedience and alignment with God’s will.
My encouragement to you today is to embrace your early days with faith and patience, obeying God one step at a time, one assignment after another. You are not a waste of space. In time, you will look back and realize that God was guiding your path all along.
