But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7
During the orchestra’s performance of a beautiful piece of music, one man sat quietly and still in the percussion section. He held a triangle in his hand, but made no attempt to strike it. The orchestra played on, and still the triangle player sat still. Then, as the performance drew near to its close, the triangle player sat up straight and began watching the sheet of music in front of him. Then, the string section came to a sudden pause, the horns muted, and the triangle player held his instrument high, striking it sharply, but striking it only once. The rest of the orchestra swept back in with the final few bars of the piece, and the performance was over. To someone watching the triangle player, he contributed a single note in the whole performance. But to someone who knew the piece of music being played, that one note was critical to the completion of the performance. Sometimes we fail to realize how critical our little input is to the overall output of our Assembly.
Everything that we have is a gift from God, our possessions, our surroundings, our abilites, our temperment, in fact, they are all on loan from God to serve us during the brief time of our earthly sojourn. We can take no credit for that which the Lord has given us, although we are responsible for what we do with it. The gifts that God has given us are for our use and for God’s glory. We sometimes make much of the fact that some have more abilities, more intelligence, more skills, more energy, more initiative than others. But those with more can take no credit for that, although they can take credit for using what they have to the maximum. If we use our gifts to the maximum for ourselves, we waste them, because they are invested in resources that will be burned up some day. If we use our gifts to the maximum for the Lord, we preserve them, because they are laid up as eternal treasure.
Who misses out if we do not use what God has given to us as He intends. First of all, we miss out. Not only do we miss out on whatever reward is due for faithful service, but we also miss out on the joy of responding with thankful heart to the goodness of God, and the joy that comes with working with and serving the Lord’s people. Our families will miss out, too, because we will not be all that we ought to be for the ones we love. The Assembly will miss out, because that place which we ought to fill will be left short. Our neighbours will miss out, because the good testimony that we ought to be to them will be missing. But what if we feel out contribution is not worthwhile? After all, there are many things that we can’t do as well as others. Our text tells us that it is God Who has measured out our gifts to us, and what He has measured out to others is not our business. Ours is to use what He has given us.
We are responsible as individuals for what God has given us. But if we respond as we should, everyone will be blessed. -Jim MacIntosh