GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL TALENT
If you’ve tapped into certain talents you were born with, and
you’ve made great strides in life, that’s wonderful. But never make the mistake
of thinking your talents or special abilities originate with you. If you’re
good at something, give God the glory. Give Him credit for putting certain
wonderful, inventive, creative, and insightful abilities in you, and give Him
the thanks.
The older I get, the humbler I get. A while back someone told me,
“You’re a much better gardener than I am.” It wasn’t as much of a statement of
fact, as a concession speech, as if we were competing. I was flabbergasted! I
had no idea this person was competing with me—over gardening? Crazy.
Gardening is a pleasure for me, a pastime, a hobby. The fact that
things grow for me is not because of my great skill, but because of God. He
loves me, and I love Him, and so my garden grows. God gives me the insight and
the direction, and I just follow and have fun. It works the same with my
painting.
I didn’t even start painting as a career until I was 40-years old.
I don’t have a degree in art. The Lord Jesus gives me the ability to see the
way an artist sees. He’s the one who put me on jobs with prestigious
clients—projects other painters would be jealous of. But for me, it’s not about
the client; it’s about the challenge and fun of succeeding in the painting
itself. It’s the Lord who puts the “how to” in me. From my viewpoint, I’m never
in competition with anyone, because I know the Lord is my source and promoter,
and I look to Him. I don’t have to compete.
If it seems that people are trying to compete with you, don’t let
it bother you. Be happy with who you are. You are only in a position that
others may covet because God put you there. He can do it for them too.
Psalm 75:5-7 tells us promotion is from the Lord: “Lift not up
your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither
from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he
putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
David was a great warrior because God made him that way. And Saul
started off with the God-given ability to be a great King, but Saul got
covetous of what David had, and it drove him to mental illness and possession by
evil spirits. 1 Samuel 18: 6-12 tells us:
“When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David
had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet
King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.
“This was their song: ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David
his ten thousands!’
“This made Saul very angry. ‘What’s this?’ he said. ‘They credit
David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him
their king!’
“So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. The very
next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he
began to rave in his house like a madman.
“David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a
spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin
him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.
“Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with
David and had turned away from Saul.”
Saul was stubborn. Instead of being happy with the talents God
gave him, He wanted what David had. But he couldn’t have it and because of his
stubborn ambition, he also lost his kingship. 1 Samuel 15:23 says: “For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as iniquity [sin in your ancestors, passed down
to you] and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath
also rejected thee from being king.”
Meanwhile, God showed David how to avoid Saul,
and David kept his heart in the Lord.
So don’t worry if you feel others may be a little
jealous of you. Just keep looking to Jesus and be happy with yourself. Let’s be
humble and thankful because all the good things we are, came from Him. Other
people don’t need to be covetous. They can be just as happy as we are if they
just do what we do—humbling ourselves to Him in everything we do and in every
decision.
1 Peter 5:6 is the best step to promotion:
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time.” It’s God’s Word. It always
works.
Love, Carolyn
LIFE LESSONS * * *
!!! WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH
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