April 24 I Friday

2 Samuel 19-20

Luke 18:1-23

“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”  —1 Timothy 4:14

Have we ever neglected something that was given to us? This was what Paul wanted to remind Timothy: “Do not neglect your gift…” (1 Timothy 4:14). The Greek word for “neglect” is ameleó, which means “to be careless of, to simply be negligent.” Paul was not writing to Timothy about overt disobedience; he was talking about intentionality and using the gifts that God has given us.

The moment we profess faith and believe in Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, which has deposited into each of us a spiritual gift. This gift is not supposed to just sit there but we should exercise it. Because when we use the gifts He has placed into our lives, we come alive and experience God in new ways. When His gifts are flowing through us, it makes us into people who are addicted to His presence––in a healthy way––as we enjoy the fruits of being used by Him.

Yet, negligence can creep into our lives. There are some Christians who may go to church regularly, have the right doctrine and are good people, but are negligent of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has deposited into their life because they are not serving––not using their gifts.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells His disciples the Parable of the Talents. He describes how a man was going on a journey and entrusted His servants with different amount of talents. To one he gave five, another he gave two and the other he gave one. Then he went away for a long time. When the man returned, he called his servants forward so that they could each give an account as to how they utilized the talents. The first servant said, “You gave me five talents and I have gained five more.” The man said to his servant, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...Come and share your master’s happiness!” The second servant said, “You gave me two talents and I have gained two more.” And the man said, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...Come and share your master’s happiness!” Then, the last servant said, “I knew that you were a harsh man so I hid your talent away and buried it in the ground. See, here is what is yours.” The man responds, “You wicked and lazy servant!” The man had this worthless servant thrown outside and took his one talent and gave it to the servant with ten talents.

As Christians, how are we stewarding the gifts that the Holy Spirit has placed into our life? Are we cultivating it or neglecting it?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for depositing in me a spiritual gift the moment I profess faith in Jesus Christ. Help me not to neglect my gifting but steward it for Your glory. Amen!