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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Using what God has given you (The Drawing)

Using what God has given you (The Drawing)  Or. . . What is in your tool box?Many of you may not think that you can make a big impact in this world. You are poor, lack resources, or you feel you lack talent, or ability, or knowledge, but I am going to tell you that can make a huge impact and leave a lasting impression on this world. To do this I will show you how a little doodle or drawing I did made a difference.

My father had a very long battle with illness. In fact he was on oxygen for over 16 years. He was on Hospice care for more than three years and at the end never left bed or his room for the last 20 or more months of his life. One day while I was over at my parent’s house to help out I was passing time with my child. My daughter likes to draw and so do I, so we sat at the table together doodling. So as I sat there I drew this little rough drawing that said God So Loved The World. It was of course based on the Bible scripture from John 3:16.
As I was about done with the drawing my father called me into his room to ask me for a drink of water. I went in with the drawing in my hand. He said “what’s that in your hand?” I showed him the drawing and he said he liked it. I asked him if he wanted it and he said yes and told me to hang it on the wall where he could see it. Well this was real strange because my father was not a believer and really was turned off when I brought up Jesus. So I taped it to the wall so he could see it and then got him some water.
The next day I was over there again and out of my dad’s room I heard him say “What’s the rest of it?” I said “what is the rest of what?” And he said “what is the rest of the John 3:16 thing?” I was very surprised and went in and told him the whole scripture, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life.” My dad said, “That Son, is that Jesus?” I told him that is was indeed Jesus, and he said “Oh” and that was the end of it.
     The next day I was helping my mom change sheets on my dad’s bed and I told my dad that to fully understand a scripture you need to know the context of it in the bible. I said I know you read the bible when you were young, but do you know the context of that John 3:16 scripture? He said he didn’t and asked me to tell him about it. I just about fainted. So I told my dad about a guy named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees in Israel, a supposed learned man, who came and said he thought Jesus was a “teacher sent by God”. Jesus replied that unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said “How can a man be born when he is old?” Jesus replied and told him of how we are to be re-born in the spirit, and then said this “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son Of man be lifted up. That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” and then Jesus said the John 3:16 scripture.
So I said to my dad, you see the people in the wilderness were being bitten by poisonous snakes and Moses was told to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. And whoever looked upon the serpent on the pole was healed from the poison of the snake. I said dad, what Jesus is saying that just like that serpent was lifted up on a pole that he would be lifted up on a pole (crucified) and looking upon it would heal us of the poison of sin that we received from that serpent in the Garden of Eden. My dad said he had never heard it put that way, and I said “well you have now”.
      So then I told my dad that the whole bible was about Jesus just like this serpent on the pole was. He said he did not see that the Old Testament was about Jesus. So I asked him if I could come over and read the bible with him to show him where Jesus was in the Old Testament, and he said he would like that. So the door was open and I was able to talk to my father about Jesus. Latter on as he was losing his ability to remember he would ask me if I knew about John 3:16, and he would tell me all about it.
    So here I was praying that I could share the Gospel message with my father and this little drawing I did opened the door, and in the end he shared it with me. I did not think that God would use that, but God takes what gifts, and talents, and unique properties, he has given us and can use them to change lives. You may not think that you can be an evangelist or that you have anything special but God made you and gave you just what is needed to reach the ones he has placed in your life to impact. Abraham and Sarah were unable to have children yet God made them the parents of a nation, Moses was slow of speech yet he was the mouthpiece of God, Gideon was a coward hiding in a wine press and he was raised up to be a courageous leader of a nation, and the apostles were a bunch of uneducated fishermen who were used to spread the message of Jesus and change the world.
In Col 3:17 it says we are to do ALL things in deed and word in the name of Jesus. 1Corinthians 10:31 says “whatever you do, do ALL for the glory of the Lord”. So whatever it is you do. A carpenter, teacher, janitor, artist, musician, car mechanic, clerk, accountant, athlete, or invalid, it can be put to use by God to make an impact on others. You never know what will impact others, but if you are not doing ALL things for Jesus then the everyday things you do will not have an impact. I could have drawn anything on that day but I chose to draw for Jesus. I chose to use that time and what little skill I had to glorify God. I had no intention, and no idea, that it could or would be used in the way it was. So today as you go about your day, in whatever you do, go about it with Jesus in mind. You may find that God places someone in your path that can be changed by just the thing you have in your tool box.
You were made for a unique purpose and the skills and talents, even lack of talent, ability and disability, and your personality, and you experiences, are a part of your special design. And these are the things God has placed in your individual tool box, so you can do His work. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are His workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. You see we are not saved by our good works but instead are saved in order to do them. And when these works flow from your special design and calling then you have a great opportunity to impact the people you come in contact with. All work, no matter what it is, can be sacred and special if it is done as if you are doing it for God.

For more on this check out this teaching by Jesus on putting you talents to use, and a stern warning to those who don't.   Matthew 25:14-30

9 comments:

  1. I wonder why those Jews just wandered around in the desert for all those years? I would have just abandoned the head guys (who obviously didn't know what they were doing) and wandered on out.
    Doesn't that scripture in the book of Genesis… the one where they’re getting booted out of Eden… have something to do with the snake and Christ? The one that says that she will strike at the snake's head and he will strike at her heel? I never could figure that one out as far as how it related to the other ones quoted here.

    Hey.... See my drawing?

    http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cjas/images/agozzino9.png

    Know what it is...? It's the last thing a colored man sees when the Ku Klux Klan throws him down a well!

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  2. I could not post this under google Account but this is AZ Jones

    Is that supposed to be funny? My black brother in law might not think so. Colored man? As far as your comment about the Jews in the desert. When you see a guy raise a staff and the sea parts, and you see him call plagues down on the Egyptians and you are spared, you saw bitter water turned to sweet, miracle manna to eat every day, Moses striking a rock and it produces enough water for a multitude, But Moses and Aaron "the head guys" "obviously didn't know what they were doing". Are you for real? And about the scripture in Genesis. It is Genesis 3:15. It says the woman's seed (Mary's seed is Jesus) will bruise the serpents head, and the serpent will bruise His heel. His is capitalized meaning the Lord Jesus. See Romans 16:20 "And the God of Peace will soon crush Satan". AS for the visual of a serpent on a pole in Genesis relating to Jesus. Jesus, the blameless one, became sin itself for us upon the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God to Him."
    AZ JONES

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  3. What don't you understand about the phrase colored man? Ever hear of the NAACP? Do you even know what that stands for? Are you aware of just who runs it? Maybe you would you have 'felt better' about it if I had just called them niggers?

    As far as the head guys, they led them around lost for over 40 years. 'nuff said!

    Thanks for your help on the other.

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  4. AZ Jones Here

    the term "colored" was used to denote racism in the south where bathrooms were labeled "colored only". Sure the NAACP that was formed in another time (antiquated) used the term. But the term in the US has been considered in bad taste since the 50 or 60s and now only very old people would use it thinking it to not be offensive. The best thing to call an African American is "Friend". Have you tried that?

    Call people what you want but I find the drawing offensive, and certainly was not using your talent to love others and glorify God. And that was what the post was about and if you did not like it just "let it be".

    Now as far as the "head guys" leading them around "lost". Have you read the bible or do you just know of it from some old Ten Commandments movie? The head guy, we will call him Moses was directed by THE head guy we will call Him God, to go directly to the Promised Land, with just one stop on the way at a place called Mount Sinai for a little "instruction". When they arrived at the Promised Land they refused to enter, due to lack of faith. Only then were they forced to spend 40 years in the desert. They were not lost; they were just homeless due to their own choices and rebellion. They knew where the Promised Land was but were just refused entry due to their rebelion (Numbers 15). Note, that they were rebelious during the entire short trip to the Promised Land, inspite of being given evrything they needed. We are often just the same. We rebel against taking God's instruction having a lack of faith and are not thankful for the provision that we don't deserve yet He provides. And then have to live with the results, a life with little promise or fruit, a spiritual desert. And then we want to blame God instead of ourselves for the position we find ourselves in. Nuff said?

    AZ Jones

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  5. Sorry, but I don't play your politically correct games. THEY wanted to be called colored. They even used it for the name of their big-time black-only origination. If they didn't like it, then that was the time to change it. Because now it's permanent! Let them change the name of the organization every time they get the wild hair to get simple-Simon little morons like you to see that their current one is "bad taste" and then I’ll be happy.
    And the offensive term used back then was NIGGER. Not colored. I grew up back then and I’ve seen it all. Not like you snot-nosed little creeps who watch the rerun of To Kill A Mockingbird and think you were around for the birth of cool. They were called colored out of respect. The other term was only let out on a need-to-know basis. Know what I mean..? If in doubt, rerun the png.
    Let’s see… first it was Negro. Then it was colored. Then it was Afro-American. Then it was black. Then it was African American. Now most just want to be seen as Africans. Like I care. They are what they were and that’s all they’ll ever be. Damaged genetics.
    And as far as the head guys go, wouldn't you say that today's homeless people “were just homeless due to their own choices and rebellion”? Same thing, right? Don’t tell me that you're going to make up excuses for them too.

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  6. AZ Jones: Ignore the creep. And thanx for sharing the story about the drawing and your father. Did he ever accept Jesus?? I hope so. Peace, friend!

    .H*P*D.

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  7. AZ JONES

    I have never deleted a comment yet but this might be where I draw the line. To me it is none of those terms, it is fellow humans, friends and brothers in Christ. But for some reason you think you are above others. And you think you can judge all of a certain look to have the same behavior that you think is below yours. But if people were to judge all that look like you by your behavior, they could say all people with white skin are hateful, predjudice, prideful, and disrespectful. You are throwing insults at me now like "simple simon moron" and "snot nosed creep". Do you see how that looks on you? The hate and pridefulness that consumes you is showing and it's not looking good. I take each individual and give them a chance and looks has nothing to do with what is in their heart. But I can see what is in yours. I don't know who hurt you to make you hate like this but it was one individual not an entire race, and being bitter does not get them back it just hurts you. This discussion has gotten so far off the subject. If you have nothing to say about finding your God given talent and gifting and using it for good to make a difference in the world, (that is what this post is about) then please don't comment.

    AZ JONES

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  8. I did not question facts. Sure there are problems in the world. But are you doing anything to change it or just complaining? And can you justify complaining about others who hate when you do the same? You are still claiming that the facts of one of three doing violent crimes gives you the right to hate the other two. That is what is irrational. Someone doing something wrong does not justify you doing something wrong. And to have judgment on an entire group for the actions of some of the group is just wrong, and it leads down a path to hate crimes and eventually what we saw in Germany. Yea I can see you are on the FAR right.

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  9. Sorry I'm no longer letting people comment on this post. The abuse was getting over the top. If you want to see more of this junk, he would not let up and it continued on a John Fogerty post. Wow I just will never get it. This post really was about doing good with you gifts and talents, and it turns to this. How does someone not see how sick that is?

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