Taking It Off the Shelf

I had put it on the shelf. I thought it was of no value. Even considered that it may have been a waste. Over the course of the last year, I was encouraged to take it off the shelf and see if I could use it again. If it could be of some value and perhaps serve a purpose, a worthy purpose. I had my doubts. Honestly, I was afraid it had been on the shelf too long and I'd forgotten how to use it.

Come to find out, when the Lord asks you to take it off the shelf, it will be used for a worthy cause. What joy! What freedom! What grace!

Many times when the Lord gives us an abundance in our resources, we put some away - up on the shelf, if you will. God doesn't mean for them to stay there. He gives them to us to use for our good, for other's good and for His glory.

In my last post I highlighted Paul's message about sharing finances. In today's verse of thanks, Paul is teaching on sowing generously. Using the example of seeds to explain that the resources God gives us are not to be hidden, foolishly ravaged, or thrown away, but sown in order to produce more crops. When we devote what God has given us in his work, He will provide us with even more to share. These resources are not limited to finances, but generous deeds and service as well.

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:11

The God who is the greatest source of the physical food that sustains all human life is the same God who supplies the spiritual sustenance that allows believers to flourish and serve.

God had blessed me with a set of skills. I hadn't realized that what I had could be of service to God - the reason I believed it had been a waste. But honestly, just about everything can be used to serve the Lord. A friend reminded me, "God, wastes nothing."

The thing that had been setting on the shelf for well over a decade was graphic design skills. When asked to try them out again for a ministry, as I said, I was reluctant. Nervous. Scared. But God made me rich so I could be generous. He used what I thought was a waste to bless His Name and allow many women to come to a new understanding of who they truly are because they are His!

Friends, if the Lord has blessed you with an abundance of something, He has done that for a good reason. Listen to the Lord. Ask Him when and how He wants you to bless others with the treasures He has lavished on you. Don't hold back. He's waiting to multiply your spiritual treasure so you, and those you bless, can flourish in freedom, joy, and grace. The result is thanksgiving to God! It's a win win!

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b