Posted by: pastorapbell | March 14, 2010

Words to live by for 14th March 2010 as we use our gifts and talent to glorify God!

If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!”—well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 The Message).

As we continue to look at the development of our gifts and talents and how we deploy them, let us consider why we are given them in the first place. Before even considering my gift let me ask myself this question, is there a difference between a gift and a talent? And if so what is it?

We have read over the last few days that gifts are given by Jesus (Ephesians 4:7ff), we also read in scripture the once Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit gave gifts to the body of Christ, the church (1Corinthains 12:1-11; Romans 12:6-8). These gifts are many and varied. They are not restricted to just nine as some would have us think, since our God is bigger than that, and they are given so that the recipient can produce a harvest of spiritual fruit, see Galatians 5:22ff. If gifts are given by the Holy Spirit as directed by Jesus, then who gave us talents? And how do we use them? To answer this question we must first make the distinction between gifts and talent.

Talent is natural ability but the confusions come when we say of a talented person, ‘he or she is naturally gifted’. What we really mean is that ‘he or she is naturally talented’. That is, they have an inherited ability which has been passed unto them through the genetic process; father, grandfather, great-grandfather, or mother, grand mother great-grandmother all the way back to Adam and Eve. This why the talent is natural and not spiritual! Every individual on planet earth has some talent. On the other hand, spiritual gifts are given by…..Jesus…to those who are part of his body….the church. Your natural ability can be enhanced by receiving spiritual gifts from Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Also natural talent can be disguised and passed off as spiritual gift!

Today don’t be misled, it is God who gives us the power or ability or gift to get wealth and become rich. So become a great ‘tither’. And as we progress in our walk towards him from the clutches of the prince of this world, satan, let us use our gifts and talents to build His Kingdom.

Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, thank you for the gifts that I have received by putting my faith in you. Thank you also for the talent I have received through inheritance, today a lay them at your feet and will endeavour to use them for you glory, in Jesus’ name amen.”

Read Deuteronomy 8:17-18, Romans 12:1-8, 1Corintians 12:1-11 and give to God his dues!

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Posted by: pastorapbell | March 13, 2010

Words to live by for Saturday 13th March 2010 as we understand the essence of the gift in this new season!

 “No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don’t put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine.” (Luke 5:36-39 The Message)

The gifts we are given is not for us to hoard and then boast about them to our neighbours. They are given to us so that we can advance the kingdom of God in our generation. Nature tells us that we live in a world that is dictated by times and seasons, therefore we must recognise the season we are in and operate in it accordingly. This is exemplified in our text today. New wine must be placed in New containers so that it is not spoiled nor contaminated. For us to understand this pithy saying we must start to think outside of the box. Jesus is telling us here that when a new move of God occurs it cannot be contained in the strictures of the ‘old’ ways. This does not mean religion is not important, what it does mean is that if we are contained and confined by religion which has its genesis in ‘relic’ which means something old, we rely on rites and rituals to sustain our spirituality.

On the other hand when we supersede religion with relationship with God [via salvation], we begin to get the freshness of what God is doing in our generation and season of life. So for us today the new wine is the new move of God in our generation. The new wineskins or bottles are the new models of being kingdom people that God is establishing now! Let’s put it another way. We generally think that we express our Christianity in church and that when we are in the market place we jettison our faith and operate like our peers. What Jesus is saying in this passage is that our relationship with God the father dictates that we not only worship in church by submitting to him, but what ever gift or talent we have, we use it to God’s glory. So if we are a banker we act with integrity, honesty and even-handedness thus displaying kingdom principles to those we report to and to those who report to us.

This is what Daniel did when he was taken captive in Babylon. He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s meat and lived on pulses and vegetables and was found to be ten times better than his peers in understanding and looked better than them on vegetable and water alone (Daniel 1:8, 20). That was a new way to do things.

Today God is calling you to operate where he has placed you. If you are in advertising be the best you can but do not compromise the word of God. If you are in the media let people know upfront what you stand for and in whom you believe so that you do not compromise the word of God. This is why we all need to get a contextual understanding of the word so that we can rightly divide it for our time and season.

Read Daniel 1 and Genesis 45 and prepare yourself for greatness.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | March 12, 2010

Words to live by for Friday 12th March 2010 as you develop your gift!

11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

A gift is something that is given without the giver looking for something in return. In our text today the giver is Jesus and we are the recipients’ and it is quite clear why we are given gifts. The writer tells us that they are given to prepare us for works of service (12). Every one of us is given the opportunity to develop the latent gifts and talents that we possess. However, unless we recognise that we have been given gifts we will never take the time to develop them. And this is the crux of the matter. Developing something takes time and effort. Let us looks at the old process of developing a photograph to illustrate the point. Once light is exposed unto the photographic plate (This is plate or film that contains chemicals which are light sensitive) the image is created. It is there on the plate but it cannot be seen by the natural eye. Rather like the gifts we have been given, they are there but at present are invisible. To make it visible it needs to go through another process called development. Here the plate is subject to harsh chemicals which dissolve away unexposed film leaving the exposed areas which are then treated further to harden them.

This is not unlike us in our Spiritual lives. For our gifts to develop there are some things in our lives that must be dissolved away. We sometimes make the mistake of saying these are my habits and are part of my culture, so I cannot stop this or that. So how do we get rid of these ‘habits’ or behaviour which are stunting our growth?

Let me suggest a few ways:

1. Start to read and believe what the word of God says about you; Psalm 139:1-3; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:14 are good starters; you are wonderfully made and so on.

2. Change the way you think about things, then habits will drop off.

3. Start looking after yourself. Eat good food and enjoy your life.

As your gift develops it will bring you into the presence of the great and the influential. God will open doors for you which will transform your life.

 Today start to develop your gift, It will take time but with God all things are possible.

 Read one verse today, Matthew 19:26 and meditate on this!

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Posted by: pastorapbell | March 11, 2010

Words to live by for Thursday 11th March 2010 as we understand where we fit in the body!

4-6You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness (Ephesians 4:4-6 The Message).

We are all called to part of a family. No one can give birth to themselves nor can a single human being propagate live on their own. Even with invitro fertilisation we need someone to do it.  We all need someone else. This is contrary to popular culture which celebrates individualism, selfishness and greed. The mantra of ‘so long as I am alright and my family are doing well then the rest of the world can go to hell’, is a false concept. This notion denies the sameness we share and does not celebrate our diversity. We are called to be individuals but also to act as a unit. This is modelled for us by Jesus Christ. Among all his miracles as recorded in the gospels, we will notice that he was on a mission that would take him to Jerusalem and eventually the cross. Because he was part of the trinity, that is communion with the Father and Holy Spirit, he kept telling us that he could not act on his own.  So he would spend hours alone praying or talking to/with his father (John 6:15 18:1) so that he would do what his father wanted him to do. This is the essence of being part of a family unit.  We should develop the skills to talk regularly and discuss issues which are pertinent to how we operate.  Eventually though if there is a dispute a decision is taken by the head of the family, the father.

So we are individuals but part of a larger body. We act independently but our actions impinge on those who are connected to us. We operated in unity although we are different and all have different life experiences. We are brought near to God because of the blood of the risen saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.  So today remember you are not alone, he is here with us, though he may seem far away, he is here to stay.

Isaiah commends us to seek the Lord while he may be found and call on him while he is near and if we are wicked forsake our old ways and old thoughts and return to the Lord who will abundantly pardon us (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Read Matthew 17

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