God Will Use my Talents to Test My Unselfishness

In review of 1 Peter 4:10 it says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (NLT).

Today’s verse comes from 1 Peter 4:1-10, where Peter tells me how to live for God. He tells me that Christ suffered physical pain here on earth, therefore I am to arm myself with the same attitude Christ had and be ready to suffer, as well. For if I have suffered physically for Christ, I am done with sin and I won't spend the rest of my life chasing my own desire, but rather be anxious to do the will of God. It also means that I have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy, their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. I need to keep in mind that the end of the world is coming soon. Therefore I should be earnest and disciplined in my prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for others, for this kind of love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share with those who need. God had given me a gift (and perhaps even gifts) from his great variety of spiritual gifts. I am to use them well to serve others.

Suffering helps me to be like Christ, yet I will do anything to avoid pain. However, as a follower of Christ, I should be willing and prepared to do God's will and to suffer for it if necessary. I can overcome sin when we focus on Christ and what he wants me to do. Pain and danger will reveal my true values. Anyone who suffers for doing good and still faithfully obeys in spite of suffering has made a clean break with sin.

The basis of my salvation is my belief in Jesus, but the the basis for judgment is how I have lived. I should be prepared to explain them to God.

I need to live expectantly because I know Christ is coming soon. My getting ready to meet Christ involves continually growing in love for God and for others. It is important for me to pray regularly and to reach out to those in need. What I have here on earth today, (my possessions), my status, and any of my power will mean nothing in God's Kingdom, however I will spend eternity with others. Therefore I should be investing my time and talents where they will make an eternal difference.

All of my abilities should be faithfully used to serve others; none are for my own exclusive enjoyment. Some, aware of their abilities, believe that they have the right to use their abilities as they please. Others feel that they have no special talents at all. Peter addresses both groups. Everyone has some gifts. As I seek to discover my gifts, if I see a need in the church, I should seek to meet it. I may find gifts in areas I might not have guessed.

God will use my talents to test my unselfishness. I have to decide in life for whom or what I’m going to live. I’m either going to live a self-centered, miserly life or I’m going to live for something greater than myself, the Kingdom of God.

A faithful person won’t live for himself. He will realize that the talents God gave him are not for his own benefit; rather they’ll make the world a better place.

When God made me, he gave me all kinds of gifts, talents, and abilities. These are often referred to as my SHAPE: my Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. These five things make me me. And God made me me. There’s nobody like me in the whole world, and he wants me to be me for his glory.

God shaped me to serve him, and there’s only one way to do that: by serving others.

Faithful people realize that their talents are not for their benefit. For instance, I may have a talent for art and say that I do it “just because I love to do it.” That’s nice, but that’s not a good enough motive. God didn’t give me artistic ability just so I can love to do it. He gave it to me so I can use my art in some way to help others.

Some people have an ability to fix things. Some people are good at math. Some people are good at closing deals. Some people are good at music. Some people are good at organizing. And some people are good at trimming and gardening.

God made everyone different so that everything in the world gets done. If we all liked to do the same thing, there would be a whole lot left undone.

I am the steward of my talents, and God is watching to see if I use what he gave me effectively on Earth. If I use those talents effectively on Earth, he’s going to give me more responsibility in Heaven.

God has put me here because life is a test and a trust and a temporary assignment. He’s watching to see if I’m faithful to use what he gave me here on Earth to bless others.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (NLT). God gave me talents, and he wants me to be faithful with them.

Bottom Line:

God has given you a gift, use it to serve others.

What this means to me:

God has given to me a gift (or even gifts) from his wide variety of spiritual gifts. It is my job to use these gifts to serve well others around me.

In summary, to live for God means that I need to take on Jesus characteristics, be willing to put others needs above my own desires. My life should be centered around a deep love for others. I need to use what God gifts me with to serve others. While my salvation comes from my belief in Christ, my judgement will come from how I choose to live my life and use my gifts. How I use what he gave me is part of the test, trust and temporary assignment he has given me here on earth. I need to decide each day, what I will live for. My goal should be to make a difference in the lives of those around me.

This morning I pray, “Father, help me to recognize and use my talents to serve those around me. Help me to understand the work tasks that my team needs to accomplish. Give me clarity on which actions to take and how to communicate those to my team. Given the patience and understanding for the people around me. Help to mee serve them and not my own needs. Help me test my movies and keep them in check. Most of let me live a life that pleases you today. In Jesus name I pray, amen!”