Devotional Column

Taranaki Central Press, Volume V, Issue 457, 26 June 1937, Page 2

Devotional Column

YOUR TALENTS. Jesus, you remember, told a story about a group of men to whom was entrusted a sum of money to use. So ; God entrusts to each of us powers of i body, mind and spirit for us to us&. We are all different, ;and of unequal ability, but we all have our own gifts and our own contribution to make to God’s purpose. But we hold our gifts on a condition —'that we make use of them. That, Jesus j shows us in this >story, is a law of • life If we fail to use our powers, I God takes them awa>y. That is true j of our bodies —strength of body dej pend'E. on exercise; true of our minus 1 —use your memory and it improves; 1 and it is true °f our spirits —praci tise prayer, worship and your sellse J of God's presence is enriched, neglect j your spiritual life and your capacity ’ for religion dies. If you are doing that ! don’t blame the church nor God, I don’t above all, imagine that you are I advanced and' emancipated. You are ! simply *a man <pr woman who has let • the highest part of your nature atroj phy through disuse —a being wno • might be a spiritual personality but I who is content to be merely one of ; the higher animals. AUd it is this 1 j non-using of our powers which is the ! chief sin in Jesus’ eyes. To misuse ! a power may injure or twist it and • will call for grace to convert it to

I its proper expression, but to flail to ■ use it means its total loss. Life is i no game but a dangerous adventure; ! it is no go-as-you-please, but a task ‘ Ivaid’iipon us by our Creator for which j we shall have to render an account. ■ The offer of Jesus is to help us win ! through, to take our lives, our gifts, ■ our characters and not merely to j teach us how to use them, but to use j them for us. For the deepest ex- ; perience of those who trust in Him j is that which is expressed in Paul’s experience.—•“Ifc is- not I who live, but Christ liveth in me.” Make me a captive, Lord, And then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, And I shall conqueror be. I sink in life’s alarms, When by myself I stand; j Imprison me within thine ’arms, ■ And strong shall be my hand. —George Matheson. I O Christ, who came to teach men ! how to live, and to give them help to do it, awaken within me that faith in Thee ’and love to Thee, which will make me Thine, so that of me it will be true that it is not I who l*ve but Thou who livest in me, for Thy » mercies’ sake Amen.