You Matter to Someone

God loves you, and so do I! Let's listen for a word from him to help guide us through today. Sit and soak in 1 Timothy 4:9-16 with me. Take a few minutes and let it resonate in your heart. Is there something that you most need to hear right now?

Do not neglect your gift. . . . Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (v. 14-15)

As I read this today, I know that, like Timothy, I have been given certain spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit. Every believer has been given at least one. My primary gifts are preaching and leadership. What are yours? If you don't know, there are some tools to help guide you in some self-assessment. But the best way to discover your gifts is to experiment with serving in different areas. Once you find something that feels meaningful and right for you, you can work on developing those gifts.

God is emphasizing to me that he doesn't want me (or you) to neglect the gifts he has given us. He gave them to us for a reason. And that reason is to use them to make a difference. I saw the movie Hugo recently. It was an amazing movie! It makes the point that the world, and particularly humanity, can be compared to a huge machine. In machines there are no spare parts. There are neither too many nor too few. There are just enough parts to enable the machine to function as it should. I have a purpose and so do you. Scripture teaches that. If I neglect my giftings, I am missing the purpose for which God created me.

The chapter ends with this statement:

Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (v. 16)

Using my gifts, fulfilling my purpose in this life, is a very important matter. Doing what God has called me to do may very well be the key to freeing someone else. Because I do what I'm supposed to do, someone else may be saved from a broken, empty life. We are all connected. Someone out there needs me to do what I do. And what's more, I need me to do what I do. By exercising my God-given gifts, I am saved from a meaningless, purposeless existence in which my only objective is to make money and have some fun.

God, please give me the opportunity to use my gifts. I don't want to neglect them. I have been diligent in using them in the past. I have persevered in using them even when I didn't feel I had it in me. Now I need you to open a door for me to use them again. For those who haven't discovered their gifts or have neglected them, please impress on them how important their gifts are to someone out there and to the legacy of their own lives. Amen.

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