Exodus 4:10-13
“ Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
Here we see a conversation held between God and His friend, Moses, possibly a similar conversation that we might hear ourselves carry with God as well. This morning devotions consolidated into one statement for me:
“Just because you don’t speak better than others, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak up at all”
Along the same line, just because I don’t do something better than others, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do anything at all. Because of my upbringing, I’ve always believed in efficiency, or the principle of maximizing returns by utilizing what is most effective for the work at hand. Hence, I’ve always thought whoever or whatever that can bring in the best results, should be the resource utilized. In the same measure, just because I’m good at something, doesn’t mean I’m supposed to be doing it all the time either. There is a time and season for every thing.
This morning, I stand corrected. That God uses the simple to confound the wise, and He doesn’t abide by any theory of economics with regards to the resources he owns and created. The key then, is not in just knowing what our talents and giftings are, but in knowing when God is asking us to use our talents, for what purpose and when. It’s easy to narrow down God’s will by simply looking at your talents and giftings as the final criteria instead of relying on God to direct you. Undoubtedly, there is a necessity to be a good steward of the talents and giftings that God has given us, but not for them to be the leading factor in your life, to the exclusion or ignorance of God’s gentle leading. There are times where He will call us to do things where we do not have the giftings/talents in or are weak in, in order that His strength be magnified. Ultimately, we remain vessels of different shapes and sizes and unique workings for the manifestation of the glory of God.
I believe 2009 will be a year of balancing the choice of allowing God to direct my steps, rather than looking at my talents of giftings to do so, while at the same time, being faithful with what I’ve been given. The voice of God must take priority over the tangibles in my life and what I can see, feel, touch and imagine must come after obeying Him, even when it doesn’t make any sense (all 5 senses!) to me.
Lord, help me to walk and live by your Spirit even as everything within me wants to rely fully on my senses alone. Teach me what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
“ Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
Here we see a conversation held between God and His friend, Moses, possibly a similar conversation that we might hear ourselves carry with God as well. This morning devotions consolidated into one statement for me:
“Just because you don’t speak better than others, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak up at all”
Along the same line, just because I don’t do something better than others, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do anything at all. Because of my upbringing, I’ve always believed in efficiency, or the principle of maximizing returns by utilizing what is most effective for the work at hand. Hence, I’ve always thought whoever or whatever that can bring in the best results, should be the resource utilized. In the same measure, just because I’m good at something, doesn’t mean I’m supposed to be doing it all the time either. There is a time and season for every thing.
This morning, I stand corrected. That God uses the simple to confound the wise, and He doesn’t abide by any theory of economics with regards to the resources he owns and created. The key then, is not in just knowing what our talents and giftings are, but in knowing when God is asking us to use our talents, for what purpose and when. It’s easy to narrow down God’s will by simply looking at your talents and giftings as the final criteria instead of relying on God to direct you. Undoubtedly, there is a necessity to be a good steward of the talents and giftings that God has given us, but not for them to be the leading factor in your life, to the exclusion or ignorance of God’s gentle leading. There are times where He will call us to do things where we do not have the giftings/talents in or are weak in, in order that His strength be magnified. Ultimately, we remain vessels of different shapes and sizes and unique workings for the manifestation of the glory of God.
I believe 2009 will be a year of balancing the choice of allowing God to direct my steps, rather than looking at my talents of giftings to do so, while at the same time, being faithful with what I’ve been given. The voice of God must take priority over the tangibles in my life and what I can see, feel, touch and imagine must come after obeying Him, even when it doesn’t make any sense (all 5 senses!) to me.
Lord, help me to walk and live by your Spirit even as everything within me wants to rely fully on my senses alone. Teach me what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteI have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NIV)
wow.. thanks for writing this Ivy.. It's definitely speaking to me and to where I'm at...
ReplyDelete