DEVOTIONAL –
GIFTS AND FRUITS –
Howdy Friends! “We all have talents and skills,” Grandpop said. “And those talents and skills help us get things done. If we use them.”
“What’s that mean?” The lad asked as he struggled to get the knot tied in the frayed rope. “I guess I don’t have any of them.” He threw the rope down in frustration. “I can never do anything right!”
Grandpop tried unsuccessfully to muffle a chuckle. “Well maybe none that come to the surface anyway.” He wiped his mouth to conceal his grin.
“What?” Snapped the boy.
“Okay, have a seat.” Grandpop smacked the straw bale at his side.
“Don’t want to,” the lad mumbled.
“Okay then stand. Not enough room on the bale for both of us anyway.” Grandpop said. “Stand right there while I tell you a story.”
“First it’s knot tying then it’s story time?” The lad shrugged his shoulders. “This’ll be fun.” Sarcasm seasoned his voice.
“I knew this fella some years ago, who had this big bucket of pennies. Saved ‘em up for years. I asked one day what he was gonna do with all them pennies. ‘I don’t know. Just pile ‘em up.’ He told me.” Grandpop began.
“So big deal. You knew a guy who saved pennies.”
“I sure enough did. And after a few more years he had two buckets of pennies. Just sittin’ there. Doin’ not a thing.” Grandpop tossed a grin to the boy. “You get the picture?”
“Yeah, he was saving pennies, so what?”
Grandpop picked up the frayed rope, and in seconds tied a tight knot that gave the old worn rope new life. “Ya see, all those pennies, gifts God had given my friend, could produce nothing as long as they sat unused in those big ol’ buckets.”
“So,” the boy said.
“One year my friend’s neighbor fell on rough times. Real rough. He needed help.”
“Let me guess,” the lad’s sarcasm floated on the words. “Your friend used those pennies that sat in buckets for a long time to help his neighbor.” He tossed his arms in the air.
Grandpop grinned, “see, you’re getting’ it.” He slapped the boy on the back. “You ain’t bad at this story time stuff after all are ya?”
Grandpop stroked the repaired rope. “There’s a little more. Think of those pennies as gifts of talent God gives each of us. And the saving in the buckets as workin’ on polishin’ that talent. So that when the time comes a fella can use that talent to help someone, in a way that honors God, well, by golly it’ll bare fruit.”
“That’s easy to say if you have a talent and you know what it is.” The lad complained.
“Aw, heck, God’ll make it plain to ya one of these day. Your biggest job now is to pay attention, grab it and don’t store it up in a bucket. Use it to build God’s Kingdom.”
Grandpop took the rope, wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders, and headed toward the house, “all this storytellin’ built me a fine appetite.”
~ Gitty Up, Dutch.
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Bible Verse – Romans 12:6 “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according” to the proportion of faith;”
Bible Verse – 1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Bible Verse – 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.”
Bible Verse – Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Bible Verse – 1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
Bible Verse – Titus 3:14 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.”
