“I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40
It’s 3:00 in the morning and I am wide awake. Some people assume that this is normal for us older persons – but I always tell my kids I can’t sleep because God wants something from me. Sometimes it’s because there has been something heavy on my heart that I need to put on God’s shoulders. So, I pray about those things. God wants my weary burden – and I gladly give it to him.
But on very special occasions the 3:00 a.m. wake-up call is because God has a message for me to relate to anyone willing to listen. Words come into my head that my fingers are supposed to type. But for a while now – I’ve been like the bratty kid with my hands over my ears, shouting “I can’t hear you!” as my dad is trying to give me instruction.
God has given me the gift of words…. Written words – spoken words – heartfelt words that I am supposed to use to teach and encourage and comfort. But lately I have been feeling unqualified to use those words. And not just unqualified – I’ve felt unworthy. I’ve been covering my ears to God’s messages because I was certain that I wasn’t the right person to relate them.
But today’s alarm clock was pretty specific: ( Let me paraphrase ) – “Wake up blockhead! I have something to say that even a block of rock would be able to relay.”
So – here is the message – don’t hide your light under a basket. Don’t stifle your calling. Don’t let The Evil One tell you that you aren’t “good enough” or that you aren’t “good for anything”. Because the truth is that each of us has been given a true and wonderful gift from God.
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So, if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:6-8
Sometimes it takes a long time to figure out exactly what our knack is – but we all have one. I encourage you today to ask God what ability you have and specifically how he wants you to use it. As Don mentioned, actionchurch is moving forward with a very exciting serving opportunity in July. Being uncharted territory for us, we are going to need every single one of you to use your gifts and talents to make this project a success. God will give us the resources and the skill, but it’s up to us to uncover our ears and open our hearts to receive those gifts and in turn, use them to serve others.
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)