The Source of Every Good Thing

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

- James 1:17

 

Last Friday, I wrote about the ugliness of sickened love: "too much of a good thing". I mentioned in passing that God has given us our gifts for a reason, and I'd like to revisit that point again today. 

In our culture, we praise ability. And we praise being true to yourself; accepting your identity for what it is, and living authentically. If you have a talent, you're encouraged to use it for yourself, however you want to use it—and, if you really have skill, you're put up on a pedestal in the Gallery of Heroes, along with all the other people who used their God-given abilities to glorify themselves. 

There's no problem with using your talents. The problem is when we fail to recognize that those talents really are a gift. And, due to our inherent pride, it's difficult to look past your own accomplishments to see the source. 

A long time ago, in Ancient Israel, there was a man. This man was a wealthy man, and he had many servants. One day, he decided to go on a journey, and also decided that he would entrust some of his servants with money, so that they could invest it and perhaps make him a little profit. So that's what he did—he gave one servant ten talents (a talent is roughly equivalent to $40,000 in USD), one five, and the last just one. 

Many of you will know the end of the story. The first two servants use the money entrusted to them wisely, and end up doubling the investment; the last buries it in the ground, and returns the money to his master exactly as it was given. The first two are rewarded; the third is cast out into the outer darkness.

The point here isn't the ending. Rather, I want to highlight where those talents came from in the first place: the master. Though in this case a talent is a unit of money, the story applies to our modern-day talents as well—our talents are God-given. 

Think about that for a second. Our talents are God-given.

Some part of me rebels at that idea. I did the work, so I should get the credit, right? It's only fair. No talent just springs into existence out of nowhere; it takes time, and effort, and sacrifice to grow and nurture. But here's the thing: you didn't do the work on your own strength. And all the growth comes from God, too, so if you had done it by yourself, you'd never have been able to get as far. 

Every good gift is from above. This applies not only to money, or cars, or a loving wife or husband, or a harmonious family. This applies to skills. Whether that's playing the guitar, sketching a mountain, making wise financial decisions, or making straight A's at Yale, that is a gift from God. 

So let's act like it. Let's use those gifts wisely, so we can show our Master what we've gained for him when he returns. Because it's his money, his gift, his ability. We shouldn't take credit for one dot.