The gift of gifts

Dan Harper September 28, 2019 0 2

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Luke 16: 1-13 (NIVUK)

1 Jesus told his disciples: ‘There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.”

3 ‘The manager said to himself, “What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg – 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.”

5 ‘So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?”

6 ‘“Three thousand litres of olive oil,” he replied.

‘The manager told him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifteen hundred.”

7 ‘Then he asked the second, “And how much do you owe?”

‘“Thirty tons of wheat,” he replied.

‘He told him, “Take your bill and make it twenty-four.”

8 ‘The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’

You have been given a mind to use.

You have been given chances to use it.

You have been given the gift of gifts.

Whatever gifts you have been given by God you can use them to build the Kingdom of God and share his love in the world. It is easy to think that it is only the extraordinary gifts that matter, the gifts of healing or prophecy, and it is easy to think the ordinary gifts won’t make a difference.

Whatever gifts you have been given by God it is up to you to use them. 
You have been given the gift of a seed of God’s love, plant the seed and let God’s love grow.
You have been given the gift of grief, where God cries with you and honours love lost.
You have been given the gift of company, where your laments are heard and sung in harmony with God.
You have been given the gift of honesty, to overcome manipulation and abuse.
You have been given the gift of where you are, where God is present and you can make a difference.
You have been given the gift of order, where you can stop and find God amidst the noise.
You have been given the gift of gifts, where you can use what you have been given and be the you God made you to be.

You are called to use your gifts, whatever they may be, to find the extraordinary stuff of God in the ordinary stuff of life. You are called to take your ordinary self and be the extraordinary person God made you to be. 

Dear God. 
Help me to encounter you in the ordinary and extraordinary
Help me to use the gifts you have given me
Help me show your extraordinary love in the ordinary parts of life
Amen.