Bible Reading: Philippians 1:3-6
God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. Philippians 1:6
Amelia is an artist. When she was six, her parents rented her a booth at a craft show. She sat with her legs dangling off a folding chair while people talked about that cute little girl and her pretty pictures. By the time she was nine, people started hanging her work in fancy art galleries.
So when Amelia turned twelve and graduated into her church’s middle school group, she was an obvious choice to help make posters for the group’s spring retreat.
What a disaster.
While everyone else wondered about where to put stuff on the poster and what color markers to use, Amelia barked orders about composition and hues and tints. Instead of seeing the purpose of the posters, she saw a chance to show off her skills.
Talk about it: How could Amelia have better used her gifts-in a way that helped people and pleased God?
God won’t say, “Don’t use your talents.” After all, he’s the one who put them there. But when we allow the Spirit to give us power and we tell God we’re willing to follow him wherever he wants, he might ask us to serve him in ways we never expected.
God may want us to serve him in an area where we feel uneasy. For example, he may want Amelia to serve him by singing in the choir for a while instead of making posters.
No one can do everything well. But working at a task of which we’re a little scared can make us more open to God’s help. And as we depend on God, others see God’s strength shining through us. Paul wrote, “This precious treasure-this light and power that now shine within us-is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
When we study the people who serve God best, we notice that real power comes from letting the Holy Spirit take charge and asking God to give us the skills we need to serve him. Being an expert ourselves sometimes gets in the way.
God isn’t limited by your age, your weaknesses, or your lack of experience. Just watch what he can do through you when you give his Spirit control!
TALK: What bold new thing do you think God would like to do through you?
PRAY: Ask God to lead you wherever he wants you to go.
ACT: Do you wish you could do something for God—but you feel a little scared? That’s a good sign! Ask God to give you his power—then dive in!
