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| On site at one of my leadership workshops, using my gift to help others... |
Below is a sermon I preached on using our gifts and talents that God gave us!
2 Timothy
1:5-7New International Version (NIV)
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first
lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded,
now lives in you also.6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of
God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For
the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and
self-discipline.
Today we sometimes face situations in our lives where we’re
told what we can and can’t do, swaying us from our capabilities and purpose. Limited
opportunities in the job market might cause us feel as though our hands are
tied or we’re boxed in from changing our circumstances. Terms such as
furloughs, budget cuts and discrimination can bring about fear and
discouragement. Even in the church we can get disappointed in service when we
can’t see if our work makes a difference. But in this text we are reminded that
we must remain faithful because God has gifted us with what we need to move
forward in spite of any challenges.
Because as His creation we’re wired to ‘be all
we can be.’ He constructed our human makeup with what is known in science as
DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid, which
we learned about in our high school biology classes. the Psalmist tells us that
He formed our inward parts; he knitted us together in our mother's womb,
fearfully and wonderfully made. Our DNA is also passed down through our ancestral
lineage. There is even a test available to find out more about our biological
origins.
And here’s
another take, I view the term DNA as Delivered Natural Ability, a gift, a source
our omniscient God supplied us with for purpose. Then what can we learn from
this text the life of the Apostle Paul about these DNA resources, this man formerly
known as Saul of Tarsus, a Christian persecutor who experienced Divine
deliverance on a road to Damascus? In the scripture Paul was in a Roman prison and
knew his life would soon be over, because he would not be set free this time
and more than likely be executed by the authorities. Why? Due to his mission to
extend the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even the conditions of Paul’s imprisonment
were different this time; he was chained in a cold cell and had been abandoned
by those he thought would co labor with him in the name of Christ.
But Paul
did what he could do even in those difficult circumstances. He wrote fearlessly!
His talent of having written over 1/2 of the New Testament galvanized the
Gospel. In this scriptural letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, he writes to
inspire him in the midst of the trials faced by these early Christians. But you
know we still face some challenges in the church with even later Christians…and
we can get discouraged in service, because church work is not easy…Amen! But now
Paul is encouraging Timothy to use what he’s got…even in the toughest of times.
In his writing Paul made this prison a pulpit to spread a message of hope because
he sensed a low moment in Timothy’s faith. But yet according to Paul’s
assessment, Timothy had what he needed from his Delivered Natural Ability. Because
Paul and the elders had laid their hands on him, delivered power from the Holy
Spirit. And even for us somebody prayed for us, had us on their mind, and said
let me lay some hands on that child’ to have better…
So here
are three points to further relate how this scripture speak to us today? First
we have to recognize our gifts and talents. Romans
12 tells us 6 We
have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. These
gifts can show up as our talents. Either someone remarked that we were born
with it, or noted them at a point in our lives. Paul has notices Timothy’s gift
for service when they met in Lystra according to Acts 16. Our talents might be in
arts, culinary, mechanical, scientific, athletic, musical, educational fields
or plain common sense perspectives; the range of what we possess is vast. And
like Paul tells Timothy, at times we have to fan into flame or as in other
translations it reads kindle afresh, keep ablaze or stir up our gift. Let me
pause right here and look at this phrases, especially kindle afresh. For some
of us that grew up with wood heaters, you remember how you had to have a piece
of kindling wood to get the fire started or when it died down. We do this now even with fireplaces. Those embers
have to be stoked, to strengthen the fire, and the same is true for our mind’s
resolve to use our DNA. Sometimes when
we get discouraged we have to strengthen our spark by praising and worshipping
God. And as President Obama said in his campaigns, be Fired Up
and Ready to Go!
But remember Paul was
chained in a cold cell. Then how was he able to write while chained? Evidently
his hands were free enough at times or he dictated to visitors or guards who
were willing to assist, some rams in the bush.Amen! But think about it, when we
don’t use our gifts we can get chained to the wrong thing, be imprisoned by
other’s perceptions of us and create our own shackling and not pursue opportunities
to use our DNA cells. Or we may not
exercise our gift for fear of being rejected or others thinking ‘ we’re all
that.’ Instead let us be on purpose for
Him who formed us. And yes we may be abandoned in the process. But remember
there is all sufficiency in the Lord, in His grace. And what a constant friend
we have in Jesus, who is always by our side!
Secondly
we also have Delivered Natural Ability as the result of how parents,
caregivers, teachers and our culture have instructed and nurtured us. Back in
v. 5 of the scripture Paul notes the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother
and how strong it dwelled in them. The mention of their faith is designed as an
incentive for Timothy. We too have some ancestral reserve of faith and pressing
through difficult times, even persecuted for who we are. We’re the product of folks
who also operated by their wits. This is a critical part of our DNA and we too
should be encouraged by this. I also mentioned that our scientific DNA is
hereditary and there’s a biological test to determine our origins. As they say
‘some things do run in the family, or it’s in the genes.” So back in 2009 an
uncle and I took this test administered through a company called African
Ancestry which specializes in this research.
The female side or matriarchal test I took came back Nigerian of the
Yoruba Fulani groups and my uncle’s male or patriarchal test also came back
Nigerian of the Ibo group. Our results
matched 100% with current day people living in those areas. I did a bit more research and discovered that
the main staples of those groups is the yam and now know why we love some baked
sweet potatoes, candied yams and sweet potato pie! Amen for the yams! Maya
Angelou in her poem And Still I Rise reminded us that we come bringing the
gifts the ancestors gave; we are the hope and dream of the slave. The skills
they brought from the motherland were put to use to survive in this new hostile
land.
Our goal
is to find these talents and not let others keep us from this treasure. We may
not face things of the magnitude in which Paul did, or even our ancestors, but
these attributes shelter us in the turmoil of today, becoming our fallback in challenging
times. Because we can’t deny that we’ve come this far by faith. God’s
Providence is always at work, for progress and for His people. From Selma to
Soweto there’ve been faith walks. The old folks, our ancestors learned to make
a way out of no way with God.
And
thirdly, what do we do with our DNA gifts?
1 Peter 4:10 gives a clear answer here, stating As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of God's varied grace.
And
ultimately, the message here is this: Find and flame this wellspring of gifts. Showcase
them for God’s glory! Build on that ancestral
reserve of DNA, to not be afraid of the terrors by night or anything that’s
trying to block us from our purpose. V. 7 assures us that God has not given us
the spirit of fear or timidity But has given us.... power. I was at the airport months ago and saw one
of the receptacle stations for charging technology that said, Power, Just When
You Need it. That’s what the Holy Spirit is, given to us by an omnipotent God. God gave us His son Jesus as a gift. Delivered in
a manager away in Bethlehem, who lived in service, yet was beaten and
put in a cell, died on a cross, was buried but rose with all Power. He loved and loves us that much.
A song
that inspires me is Stir Up the Gift!, taken from the words of Paul in our text
used in the King James version done by Joe Pace and the Colorado Mass Choir...
Stir up the gift, Lay your hands on me, Touch me Lord Revive my joy
His joy and peace has given us a sound mind
Never should we be afraid Because we have the gift of DNA
