FAITH COLUMN

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

— 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

When I was young, my patient dad taught me to work with wood. I often felt that I would never get the hang of it. But, because of his patience and love, I did. The same was true of basic car repair and understanding mechanics. As I grew, I gained more and more skills and even showed a few talents along the way. It was obvious to my dad that I was not a talented mechanic, but I did gain enough skill to help him when he needed it.

I also learned that all the skill and talent in the world becomes a jumble of insignificance if we can’t use those skills and talents to help others. When we believe that God gives us skills and talents only to enrich our purposes, we fail to notice the intent of God and the teachings of Jesus. Jesus often gave without receiving. That does not mean that God is angry with us when we use our talents to make a living. But it does mean that we should be wary of greed as it warps God’s intent in his gifts for us.

When opportunities to use our gifts are shown to us, we can see those opportunities one of two ways, opportunities of gain or opportunities of service. There are plenty of opportunities of both kinds around us in Fort Stockton. Sometimes it is difficult to discern which is which, but in most cases, it is a matter of perspective. In many cases, someone just needs a little help whether they are willing to admit it or not. Other times, someone just needs a smile to change the way that they are looking at the day that started out dark.

If we genuinely take a look around us, it is easy to spot those people that could use a hand carrying their groceries, maybe getting a can from a top shelf in the store. It could be that they need help painting their fence or they have run into a bit of hard luck and are needing wheelchair ramp. If you would like to help with that, you can reach out to Fellowship of Believers. While you are at it, you can ask about their prison ministry. Or they might even need to borrow a wheelchair and we happen to have one in the garage from a time we needed one and someone was kind enough to give us one at a time when we couldn’t afford it.

We have several food banks in town and it really doesn’t take a lot of skill to volunteer to help distribute food. You can check with First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Ministerial Alliance, or even the West Texas Food Bank. All of these organizations need volunteers to do this good work. They do not require us to be of their denomination for volunteering. We are of one body doing the work of God. By doing so, we lift up those in need and also each other.

The truth is, everyone needs help once in a while. No one of us is better than the next. We remain one body in Christ and we should allow Christ to use us as such.

God bless you all.