"To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away." Matthew 15:25
When relaying the events of his recent IRONMAN competition, my dear friend, Jim, remarked that while he managed to take almost two hours off his previous time and placed very well in his age group, he was still nowhere near as fast as the elite athletes that had crossed the finish line nearly six hours before him. That's pretty amazing when you think about it, isn't it? That some people are blessed with that much speed and endurance? But God most certainly made us all different didn't He? Yet no matter how fast or slow we are, true success doesn't come from winning the race but by doing the best with the talents we have been given.
Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian and missionary, knew that. In fact, in the movie "Chariots of Fire," Eric said he was compelled to run in the 1924 Olympics because he believed that God made him for a purpose but that God also made him fast, "To give that up would be to hold Him in contempt. To win is to honor Him." You see just as, "To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability", Liddell knew success was measured by how well he used the skills he had been given, big or small, "according to his ability". This knowledge then allowed Eric to use his gift of running fast to bring God glory-giving Him a great return on his investment.
And like Liddell, you and I should also maximize the use of our talents, not for our own selfish purposes but to honor Him. In all we do, whether slow, speedy or somewhere in-between, let us give our absolute best "each according to his ability" to expand the Kingdom and bring glory to our Creator.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your many blessings and for the individual talents you have given each of us. Help us to recognize just what that talent is and then to use it to do your will. May we always work to the best of our ability knowing that is where true success lies. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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