Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
Undeveloped Potential
I was recently looking for an address in my neighborhood but couldn't find it on Mapquest or Googlemaps. I knew the approximate location of the street but it wasn't on any of the maps. It turns out the street is a new street that leads to a new town house subdivision only a few blocks from where I live. I remember last year hearing the sounds of trucks and hammering and other noise of construction, but had never seen what was being built. When I turned on the new street I could see that what had been a previously unused and neglected piece of land had been turned into a nice little development. The land had great potential but lay dormant until someone saw the potential and put it to use. This housing development reminded me of how sometimes we don't see the potential in other people. I've seen Christians sitting on the sidelines for years, never getting involved because no one took the time to encourage them and train them for ministry. Some people are overlooked because they don't appear to be qualified or don't fit some preconceived idea of how a Christian should look. This kind of thinking is unbiblical. God has given all his children special spiritual abilities (χαρισματα, charismata) for ministry. Every Christian has tremendous potential; we just have to see it, and develop it, and put it to use. The subdivision down the street from my house had been an undeveloped plot of land for many years. It was overlooked and neglected until someone saw the potential, developed it, and put it to use. Now it is a beautiful subdivision and a lovely place to live. Let's remember to be on the lookout for Christians who have great potential but have for one reason or another never had their spiritual abilities developed. Maybe you have neglected to develop and use the talents and abilities God has given you. Remember what the Bible says: "Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly (Romans 12:6)."1 And "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10)." May God take your potentialities and make them into actualities, Pastor Steve July 20, 2007Footnotes 1 Romans 12:6, NASB (New American Standard Bible). Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
Find more afterthoughts at Mas Pensamientos
(more afterthoughts)
Return to Home Page of trinityteaneck.org