Ability: March 29, 2010

March 29.TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 29, 2010

ABILITY

DEFINITION:

The power or capacity to act or do mentally, physically, legally, morally or financially; competence based on natural skill.

SCRIPTURE:

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:11

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

All of us who have worked with children whether in the role of parents, teachers, coaches, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers or counselors quickly see the obvious that no two children are alike and no two children have the same abilities. Some children just have a lot of natural ability and others have to work hard to accomplish the same. Natural ability is not something that can be taught, it is God given.

For many children things come easy. For other children learning is difficult. Some children have ability in one area of endeavor and some in another. As parents of six children and grandparents to twenty it has allowed us to observe literally hundreds of other children living and working side by side our children. What stood out was the difference in their desire to do well and the difference in their work habits. It wasn’t always the one with the greatest natural ability that was the highest achiever. Often it was the one who had the greater desire to do well and thus was willing to work harder and thus rose to the top.

It is important for us to remember that our abilities; children, youth and adults, whether many or few are gifts from God and we should be grateful for what God has given us and not treat them lightly.

When God was instructing Moses on how to construct the Tabernacle tent and where to place the Ark of the Covenant and all the furnishings, He told Moses that He had chosen Bezalel as head craftsman. And God said, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.” (Exodus 32:3) God also appointed an assistant named Oholiah to help Bezalel. Along with their craft abilities, God gave them the ability to teach others as it would take many to do the work. (Exodus 25:34)

Moses then called upon the people of Israel to use their God given abilities to help. He asked everyone to bring an offering from what they had, gold, silver, bronze, fine yarn, linen, spices, precious stones etc. He also called for the skilled to come help with the construction. Moses did not make it a command. His words were, “everyone who is willing.” In Exodus 35 you can read of all that the people willingly gave from what possessions they had that they gave willingly of their ability to make what was needed for the completion of the Tabernacle. They all used their God given abilities for God’s work and for His glory and did it willingly.

God gives us all certain talents and abilities. He gives to us what he believes we can handle. It is then up to us to accomplish what God expects us to accomplish with what He has given us. So many people today have been given so much ability but they are basically lazy. Many of these people do just enough to get by.

God expects us to use the abilities that he has given us to glorify His name. He gives some the ability to communicate. He then expects the communicator to communicate to others about their faith. To others He gives the ability to work with their hands. To the worker He expects us to work with others to glorify His name.

When raising our six children we stressed the importance of using their God given abilities and not to squander them. We pushed them to work hard at their studies so that they would do well in their preparation for their later years. We realized that they might not get straight “A’s” but we stressed the importance of them always doing their best.

As parents you have to recognize not only their abilities but their limitations. It is also very important to have realistic goals for them and to praise them for their achievements and not to condemn them when they failed to make a goal. We all fail from time to time but we just need to keep on trying to do our best with what abilities God has given us.

One time one of our children came home and told us that his friends parents paid their children for each “A” they received and asked why we did not do the same. In response we asked our child to think about who benefitted from getting the “A’s?” We wanted our children to understand that the grades that they received were a reward for their effort and what they learned through their efforts were going to benefit them in the future and enable them to be more successful in life.

Since our children were capable in getting “A’s” we encouraged them to be grateful that God had given them the ability. We wanted our children to know how blessed they were by God. Many children cannot get an “A” no matter how hard they try but when they do their best God will honor them just as much as those that get the “A’s”

God also gives children abilities so they can communicate the good news of their beliefs in the Lord to their peers and it is the responsibility of parents to bring out those abilities. This is accomplished by the training given by the parent to the child as well as helping the child find the opportunities to use their abilities. This is a responsibility that God expects of us as parents and if we fail we limit our children.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:1.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

PRAYER:

Thank you for the abilities that You have given me. Help me to use these abilities first of all to glorify Your name and secondly to help accomplish what You want accomplished by me and my family.