Volcano!

I've been talking for about a year on the subject of "Get out of the boat, Peter!" because God has been bringing that forward to the front of my life over and over again. Though he hasn't removed that, He is continuing to work on me by adding another new area of growth. Talents.

I just turned fifty and God wants something new out of me? This thought has plagued me because I have felt like I’m moving towards my heavenly home time. And the Lord knows that I am excited about heading there! Somehow in my feeble mind, I began to think that once you hit fifty life slows down and stops. I guess I see it this way because I am single at this age with grown children. Not that I don’t think there are good times to come, but just that I’m tired. I’m tired of my health problems, my job, my aloneness, my finances- life in general, I guess! Here comes God- telling me for the last year to find my courage and strength and to “Get out of the boat, Amy!” Being obedient is hard, but I am trying. And now God is saying to me- embrace your inner volcano! Huh?!

Let me explain what I mean by that by first saying that God has been putting me in the places that I need to be to hear the same message over and over again just like he did last year. Only this time the message is talent. I have started to realize that our talents are like volcanoes.

See, we all have these God given gifts that are bubbling inside of us like hot, molten lava. That hot lava comes spewing out of us when we recognize it and begin to use it the way that God is directing. We continue to erupt for God using our talents. Then we begin to cool down. Not that our talent is gone because it is still under the surface hot, but other places-talents- begin to bubble forth. And that my friends is where I am at in my life right about now! Job did say the rest of his life would be the best of his life!

My life is right here right now. I have this new talent that I’ve had my whole life, but it’s been like a dormant volcano. Bubbling slowly on the inside, building up steam for the moment that God says that I am ready for my task. As this new talent is beginning to come to life another one is becoming dormant. It has been with me my whole life too, but now it is becoming less of something that I feel. Like a fire slowly burning out, but the pilot light is still lit.

I actually think that God is lining things up so that both of these talents will become one volcano together. Neither are where they need to be as far as power goes, but I feel the undercurrents stirring. God has been moving all of these things around and continuing to press me. He opens my eyes to things by showing me the same message over and over. He kept telling me to “Get out of the boat, Peter,” and now He’s doing the same with talents!

Get this- one of my soul sisters was standing in my kitchen this morning and she started talking about talents! Last Sunday, Pastor Andrew was preaching on 1 Peter 4: 7-11- what do you know- verse ten is all about talents! The day before that I was catching up with an old friend and- yep you guessed it- talents and using the gifts God has given us was the conversation!

While Andrew was preaching, I looked deeper at verse 10. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” I use the NIV Bible and my study reference at the bottom of the page gave me three other verses that were related to talents. Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, and Ephesians 4:11 were the cross referenced verses.

Romans 12: 6-8 is the verse that I am most familiar with regarding talents and God’s gift to us. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage, if is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” This verse always sticks in my mind because I have been blessed by knowing people of all of these talents. God gives the talent to us and the timing and faith to understand it. It is our responsibility to build up the church by using these talents whatever yours may be.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 talks about a “manifestation of the Spirit” which makes perfect sense to me if I think about the fact that the Holy Spirit comes upon us and lives and resides within us. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretations of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” Wow- what a pecan that is! The Spirit comes upon us and determines which gift we are to be given! He knows us that well! Again, that hot lava is flowing in us empowered by the Spirit! We are to be a“Volcano” for the church by using our gifts to bring glory to His church!

Ephesians 4: 11 says, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” The gifts are bestowed upon us and as we use them we mature and become more and more dedicated to the church that is the body of Christ. I think that is the bubbling up of the lava I am talking about here! The more we do and discover our gifts the more we grow and serve others for the glory of God! Yes, please Jesus! Make me a volcano of talents that I can use to win others over to You, and if it means that I lose one talent as another one grows so be it! Let me explode in doing your work! Help me see the path that I am to take just as the lava flows down the side of the volcano.

I think I know why God has been showing me these two separate areas of growth for me. They are combined! I need to figure out my gift and then I need to step out of the boat so that I can use that talent in service to the church! Another pecan! I now am beginning to understand why God has shown me “Get out of the boat, Peter!”over and over again. It is related to what I am living in my life right now. Keep directing me, Lord! Place me where you need a lava tube! Let me be the volcano in the church that uses my God given gift until I “mature and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” I encourage you to go explore and find your talent. See if Jesus needs a helper somewhere. Once you find it, let your lava flow!