"And He Himself
gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” Ephesians 4:11-13
On Sunday, the 19th July, 2015, Justina’s eldest sister and
her husband came to Magodo to visit Justina’s parents. (Justina’s parents live
a couple of streets away from us) and they also brought their toddler son
“Morire” for a vacation with his grandparents.
While I was having a chat with Justina’s elder sister who is
also a lawyer, she mentioned that she was searching for a new job. I promised
to contact her if I heard about any worthwhile job openings.
Now Justina’s elder sister has a passion for music. She has
a wonderful voice and she is a Christian. She had plans of pursuing a career in
Christian music but she ended up studying Law as a result of pressure from her
father. While she was an integral part of her local church choir, the sheer
pressure of raising a family and the unavailability of resources had prevented
her from pursuing a lucrative music career. She had worked on a few incomplete musical
demos in the past but that was it. She was yet to earn a dime from singing.
Your talent is God’s
gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God: Leo Buscaglia.
That night, as Justina and I discussed about her sister’s job search, we focused more on her career as a lawyer that we
totally neglected her talent in music and the gem God had given her. We felt if she
could further her education in Law by acquiring a Masters degree or taking some professional courses, then she would be better positioned for a better job. We believed she should concentrate more on Law while
music could be a hobby or something she did free of charge for the purpose of
evangelism.
And then I heard the word clearly as though someone had
spoken into my ears...
“God gives us talent for
evangelism and sustenance”
And the illumination followed: as a Christian, your God
given talent is not only to evangelize; while showcasing the beauty of God’s
gifts, that talent is also to sustain you. It is meant to put food on your
table. When you discover your special place and God illuminates your mind
showing you how to birth ideas that command resources from the womb of talent;
then you unlock the door to prosperity.
Everything you need to succeed and prosper in the face of
changing economics, has been deposited in you. Discover it and re-negotiate
your destiny: change your life.
When you arrive at the place of discovery and you find the
gift God has given you, then you must discover the means of using that gift for
the propagation of the gospel and also for sustenance. If all your talent has
done for you is sustenance, then you are a minus to the kingdom of heaven…however,
if your talent has not been able to sustain you on earth, then you are a minus
to humanity and your poverty is rightly deserved.
I am speaking to myself.
When I stand before God
at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of
talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’. Erma Bombeck
“and He has filled
him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all
manner of workmanship” Exodus 35:31
Follow on twitter
@june7project.
