How often have we all heard that God has given us gifts to use to glorify His name? I know I've heard it tons and tons of times. But, how often have I forgotten to give God worship through the gifts He has given me? Way too often. Why is that? I don't really know. But, I have a theory. Importance.
You see, whenever we hear that God has given us gifts, we think, "Alright! I can do things!" But we forget the biggest part of the equation - God! I may just be beating a dead horse by saying this over and over again, but ultimately we forget. It's human nature.
There was a man once who wanted to be in business. He was so gifted with numbers. He could account for just about anything. Numbers weren't difficult, in fact, he enjoyed balancing books, paying bills, managing payroll, and otherwise handling accounting duties. To us, he might sound a little strange. But, this is what he was good at! From the time he was young he dreamed of working himself up to the head of a company so that he could manage entire firms. He did, he was very successful at it. He worked his way up from the ground floor to the lavish 43rd floor office of his building. He got everything he dreamed of. Now, let me say, he would often pray about what he was doing. He was very religious, and very active in church. He knew how to balance books to make sure that God always got what was necessary, and sometimes even more. But, as the years wore on, the economy became bad. He started pulling a little out of his tithe every week, because he was making less, he had to cut back on certain things. Well, it didn't take long before he stopped paying a tithe altogether - and then, not long after that he stopped going to church. He all but forgot about God. His company was starting to fail - not because of his bookkeeping skills, but because of the economy. Eventually, his company disbanded and he was left with a small piece of the lifestyle he once had. Things became tough between him and his family, and eventually, he was divorced. It became so bad, that he was literally down to his last dollar. Then he remembered something. Something someone told him a long time ago, "God didn't just give you gifts, he entrusted you with the ability to do something so special that only you can do. God made a pair of shoes just for you, and he intends for you to wear them." That was it, that's what was missing from his life. He put one his best set of clothes - he had to sell quite a bit to make ends meet for his family recently. He got up and went to church. He took his last dollar to the office and said, "I know this isn't much, but this is my tithe for this week. It may seem like I'm giving just a small amount compared to what I might be able to give. There was a time when I could tithe enough to pay monthly electricity bill in this church. But, this is my last dollar. All I have left. God entrusted me with the ability to do with this dollar exactly what should be done with it, and all I can think is to give back to Him. I am trusting that God knows just what to do with it." And with that, he placed the dollar down and walked out.
I'm not saying that all this man's troubles were resolved, but the fact that he took everything he had left and returned to that who gave it to him - God. Why is it then, that we forget to return even the small amount that God asks us to?
Remember, God didn't just give you gifts, he entrusted you with the ability to
do something so special that only you can do. God made a pair of shoes just
for you, and he intends for you to wear them. So, wear them to walk back and return what God has given you. Use those shoes to create the path He wants you to have, a path that other people can follow.
God loves you. God trusts you. Always love God. Always trust God.
