The Olive Branch

Every person on this earth has one or more God given talents and it’s important to put those talents toward the kingdom of God. Many artists use painting nature as their way of glorifying God with their talent, capturing the beauty of God’s artwork and putting it down on paper the best way they know how. For some, this could mean writing a poem, song, story, ect. Our talents are wonderful things that we should thank God for every day. Sometimes however, it can feel like you don’t have any talent, but I can tell you that is NOT true. We all have a way to contribute to God’s kingdom; you just may not know yours yet. Maybe you are good at math, a sport, or acting. Maybe you’re just really good at making conversation. Whatever you’re skilled at is your talent and you can use it to glorify God. You can use a good fashion sense to glorify God by dressing modestly and teaching others how to do the same. If you are athletic, you can give God the glory for all of your victories. When we use our talents to glorify God, we are simply giving back to him what he’s given to us. The Bible talks about doing all things unto the Lord and not the world. It’s easy to get caught up in using our talents for worldly things, and it feels good to get all the glory for your talent. But, we need to remember who gave us our talents and recognize he deserves all the praise for them. There is a parable called The Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25: 14-30. (Parables are stories Jesus told to make a point.) In this parable there are three men; one given 5 talents, one given 2, and one given 1. The first two men invested their talents into the kingdom of God and were rewarded, but the last man hid his talent and gained nothing. The devil will try to convince you your talents aren’t good enough and make you jealous of other people’s talents. He can make you afraid of what people think when you use your talent, but we can’t give into his lies. The Lord has given you certain abilities to use in your church and in the world, not to keep hidden. It doesn’t matter how many talents you have or what they are, if you put them toward God’s kingdom and give Him the glory for them, you will be called His good and faithful servant and receive the reward of inheritance.

Sincerely, Olivia

Colossians 3:23-4 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ”