Today's Devotional

December 4, 2002

Subject:  Using Our Gifts

Proverbs 18:16 - "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men."

Matthew 10:18 - "And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles." 

I frequently quote a line that says, "everyone in the world has at least one thing that they are better at doing than anyone else in the world.  It's up to us to figure out what that one thing is."  I really believe that and in some instances, we are blessed enough to realize what that gift is and use it for its intended purposes.  Of course, many discover it and misuse it also.

The bible has many great stories of normal men and women who came to great positions of authority because of their gifts and the testimony that they had with the king or those in authority.  Whether it was Daniel and the Hebrew boys, or Joseph in Egypt, Queen Esther or Nehemiah.  All of these people were placed in the limelight and used their gifts to make a difference.

So what's so amazing about these people?  Well for starters, they were all people committed to and obedient to God.  This is tough in a secular world and that's where all of these people found themselves.  Their testimony was before kings who were not believers, but because of their testimony, they were "given room" to live out their faith in God and given special rights and privileges.

For us today, do we find it difficult to work for our boss?  Are we frustrated with our secular culture?  No need to be, remember, our testimony is to the world and our trust in God is what makes the impact.  Pray that you be ready when you are brought before governors and kings (your boss, friends or coworkers) for Christ's sake, for this will be a testimony against them. 

Carlen