Skills and Assets

So here is a devotion I did earlier in the year, that I have been thinking on recently. I want to share it with you, but here is an idea, if you can, re-read this with another, or in a group of three or more, and discuss the questions, because I do think it is important to appreciate other’s skills and assets, and encourage others, but also it is equally important to look at your own skills, and think on how they can be used in your life and the life of the church.

This was written and lead by myself before going to Florida City with a group of different ages, to go help build a playground with the Branches community. Although it is based around the gifts and assets found by many at St. Luke’s, gifts and assets are very much universal, so also very applicable to Northern Ireland, as I will discuss in a later post, that I'm trying to lead to. Basically I am pulling from my previous work, so one, you can see what I have been doing, but two, lead you in my thought process, so I can share with you what I have learnt, and you can see and understand how I got to that point.

Skills and Assets

1 Peter 4:9-11

9 Open your homes to each other without complaining. 10 And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts. 11 Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.

Colossians 3:17

17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.

Luke 21:1-4

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.

So I came here in October, but prior to that I had a number of sessions with Britt Gilmore, who is a pastor in Northern Ireland, who went over as a missionary from here at St. Luke’s.

In these sessions we had dinner with his family and then would sit down with him, the American use to Northern Irish culture, his wife Alison, the Northern Irish one use to American culture, and me the blissfully unaware intern to be. No I did have an idea about American culture, but these sessions were set as a cultural preparation session.

One of the things Britt said was “Now Owain, Americans are rather self-assured in their talents, they don’t hold back on how good they think they are. Whereas you all are rather held back, and shy away from compliments.”

So from that stand point this devotion on “Gifts and Assets” should be easy, because you all are so self-assured on what you’re good at! (This said of course to americans!)

Truth is we do all have skills and assets, so quick in your groups I want you to discus, what you think your gifts are, and I want everyone to say at least one!

Now you have all discussed what your skills are I want you to think, how could this be used in the context of Florida City, and how it could be used here, at St Luke’s? (Think on how your skills could be used at your local church or community outreach centre!)

We read

10 And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.

As well as

17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.

This tells us that

1.       Our gifts come from God

2.       We should use our gifts to represent and please God here

3.       And everyone has gifts

Now I showed you that clip from the under rated film Megamind, where he is trying to find a way to use his skills to impress the class, but can’t find away, because the young Metroman’s skills keep over shadowing his.

Last week I was on retreat and in our reading, I came across this passage

“Here we touch the most important quality of Christian leadership in the future. It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility...” “Leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favour of love” “most of us still feel that, if we have anything at all to show….” “…we have to do it solo, and make it a spectacle”

Our gifts don’t need to be shown as huge gestures of power in faith, to make everyone say “oh look at so and so, aren’t they so good”, like metroman making the popcorn, but we can use our skills together to follow the call to give up power, and be vulnerable humans, and show love. You shouldn’t look at others and think, like Megamind did, “man their gifts are so much greater than mine”, they aren’t. God gives us all gifts, talents, and assets, though some may show them outwardly, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use your gifts, to quietly build the kingdom here.

We look also at Luke 21, and we see that it doesn’t matter how large the gift or asset, if we give it fully to God, it will please him. Like in the how to be rich series how it talks on “God looks at percentages!” If we give our all, and put a large percentage of our time and effort, if we put all the time and energy we can, just like the poor Widow, into the work we are doing here at St. Luke’s or in Florida City, it will please God.

So here is my challenge for you, go from this place and look at the time you spend during your day, or week, and see if you can break down the time you spend at school, work, eating, sleeping, resting, and how much of that time you spend in worship, service, or prayer. Then maybe look at if you can do the latter more so.