Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”
Our Bible verse for today: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Just be the best “you”, you can be.”
Well, it turns out that I’m not Billy Graham. I know, I know, you’re disappointed, me too. For one thing, I don’t have his hair. I haven’t even owned a comb in over twenty years. More importantly, I don’t have his preaching ability, and I certainly can’t fill an entire stadium with people eager to hear about Jesus.
But here’s the good news: I don’t have to be Billy Graham. All I have to do is be the best Jim Mersereau I’m capable of being. God created Billy and Jim as unique individuals and He has a tailor-made plan for each of our lives. In His divine wisdom He gave each of us the gifts, skills, abilities, and talents He wanted each of us to have, and then He holds each of us accountable for how we use what we do have, not for what we don’t have.
That’s the lesson Jesus was teaching in Matthew 25:14-30. It’s what we know as “The Parable of the Talents”. In this story there were three men who were each entrusted by the master with something of his, which they were then to put to good use. The amount each was given was determined by the master and was in accordance with their abilities. Each was then held accountable by the master for how they used what they did have, not for what they didn’t have.
This is an important lesson because so many of us allow ourselves to feel inadequate – we think we don’t measure up to other people. We believe other people are smarter, more talented, better looking, more successful, etc, and we then come to the conclusion that we are inadequate by comparison. But the truth is that God didn’t create you to be someone else, He created you to be you. And He doesn’t compare your achievements to those of other people He compares your achievements to what He knows you are capable of, based upon what He has given you to work with.
Each of us needs to learn to live within the boundaries of who God created us to be. More importantly, we need to learn to be happy about who God created us to be. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive to grow and improve and to acquire new skills, but it does mean that all you are responsible for is to be the best “you”, you are capable of being. Jim Mersereau doesn’t have to try to be Billy Graham. And Billy Graham doesn’t have to try to be Jim Mersereau (which would certainly be the easier side of the equation!) Just be who God created you to be.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 