April 14 - Beyond Brains and Trains
April 14
Beyond Brains and Trains
Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14-23
14“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23His lord said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
"WHEN GOD WAS passing out brains, you thought He said trains, and asked for a slow one!"
"When God was giving out looks, you shouted, 'Gimme!' but He thought you said, 'Skip me!'"
"When God was handing out personality, you thought He said abnormality, so you asked for an invisible one!"
None of those statements is true of you, of course. After all, you've got a thing or two going for you, right?
Right. God has given you some good things, no matter how unattractive or untalented you may feel at times. Maybe He gave you a great family. Or He might have blessed you with athletic ability or at least a healthy body. Or a healthy mind. Or understanding parents. Or a better-than-average singing voice. Or a pleasant personality and a talent for making friends. Or good eyesight. Good posture. Straight teeth.
The point is, God has given you something. Maybe you don't think He gave you as much to work with as He gave "Crash" Helmut, the captain of the football team, or Heather Fields, the prettiest girl in the history of adolescence.
But whether God has given you little or much, it's important how you are using what He has given you. If He gave you a good mind, do you use it well, or do you use it to figure out how to fool your parents or lie to your teachers? If He gave you a nice voice, do you use it to sing and pray to God, or to curse your brothers and sisters?
Scripture says, "The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness" (1 Samuel 26:23, NIV). If you are faithful with what God has given you already, he may someday reward you with more blessings, more responsibilities, more advantages. But if you waste or misuse what He's given you, why should He trust you with more?
REFLECT: Faithfulness to God includes using His many good gifts wisely. Take a moment to list in your mind as many good things as you can think of that God has given you. Don't overlook the obvious (such as your five senses) or the material (such as a comfortable bed to sleep in). On a scale of one to ten (ten meaning "like Socrates or Solomon" and one meaning "needs immediate help"), how would you rate your wise use of God's good gifts?
PRAY: "Thank you, God, for the good things You've given to me, especially ___________________________."