1 Corinthians 12:4-6

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 - There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

We all have our own method of doing things. There are so many talents in the world that we cannot count them all. I may be good at one thing, while you excel at another. When you and I look at the same job we may see a different way of getting it done, based on our talents. That’s ok. It doesn’t matter what method is used, what matter is whether or not God is in it.
When we are living for God, He is going to speak to us differently. Based on the talents He has given us we will serve Him differently. You may sing, I might set up chairs; they are different things, but both are equally important if you are doing it for God. There are many ways that we can serve God; the important thing is that we are working in our giftings.
When we work together in the gifting that we have been given God is glorified. It is important to serve God with your talents. One way to do that is by serving others. When you help others, God is glorified through that as well.
Helping and serving others is much like what we were talking about with serving God. It will look different based on your talents and giftings. For example, say you and I see a family that is in need. They are going through a lot in their life and don’t have a lot of extra time. You may see that as an opportunity to cook them a meal and help them out that way. I may look at the same situation and see that their lawn needs mowed and do that for them.
Are either one of these acts of service any better than the other? No, both are needed; both are an opportunity to glorify God. We have both operated in our talents and met the need of a hurting family. Think about it this way, would it do any good for me to cook a meal for this family if I can’t cook? No, of course not. It would have been done with a good motive, but it would be impractical because no one would eat the meal I provided. In the end no needs would have been met.
That is why it so important to operate in your giftings. Then, when you serve one another it is both with a good motive and it is practical. It meets the need and glorifies God.

Matthew 25:14-15

Matthew 25:14-15 - Again, it (the kingdom of God) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.

Jesus tells us this story of the ‘talents’ as a comparison to the kingdom of heaven. It gives a vivid picture of what God is like to His servants (you & me). We can learn a valuable lesson from this story that we can apply in our daily lives.

All of us want to succeed and do well, both in our personal lives and our professional lives. At home we want to have great relationships with our family and at work we would like to excel and be entrusted with a lot and reap the benefits of it.

As we look at this story we see a boss and three workers. Now, the boss does not see the workers equally, because he knows them. He knows their work ethics, their abilities and their skill levels. As he gets ready to leave he realizes that he needs someone to look after his work and make sure it gets done. He calls together three of his workers to take care of his affairs.

First we must realize that before this time the employer was handling all of his assets, now he is going to divide them among three people. He does not do so evenly, though; he looks at the abilities of the men and gives them each according to his ability.

Here is the point I am trying to make. If you want to gain more responsibility you must improve your ability. When opportunity comes, if your ability does not match the guy next to you, don’t expect to receive the same amount of responsibility as he does. Increase your ability and people will entrust you with more.