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Who gets the credit for God’s gifts in today’s world?
At the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8 the top musical artists of America received credit for the work that they had accomplished. But would God be proud of most of their work? And who gets the credit for their gifts of talent?
I thought about these questions as I watched the All Access Grammy special hosted by CBS news anchor Katie Couric. Each performer’s interview focused on his or her talents and success in life. While there’s nothing wrong with being impressed with others or recognizing their strengths, what about focusing on why people have those abilities in the first place?
Watching the interviews, I noticed that God was mentioned only once, but not as a real key to success. The stars didn’t seem to recognize that it was God who gave them their musical gifts.
But in fact, our Creator has given us everything we have, all our talents and even the ability to enjoy the accomplishments He makes possible: “Every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:13).
In an interview with Justin Timberlake, Couric asked about the key to his success as a pop artist, performer, producer, actor and clothing designer. “Staying a fan of life is the key to my success,” he replied. Why is society so focused on inner personal achievement rather than inner divine achievement?
In her interview Katy Perry stated, “I’m so blessed to have grown up in the church—it began my singing career. Knowing this gives me a communion with God when I sing.” She added, “I believe in faith, and I believe it’s pure.” But it is one thing to profess faith; it is another entirely to act on it. Unfortunately, Perry’s actions don’t reflect much of a foundation in God—for example, consider the song she sang last year, titled “I Kissed a Girl.”
In the last interview, Taylor Swift—whom Couric called “practically perfect”—ascribed her success to her drive to help her listeners better understand the struggles of life. While this seemed to be the best thought throughout the entire show, I still wondered, why not focus on the One who created us and truly understands our struggles? His love and His plans for us truly are perfect. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
To learn more about putting your God-given talents to work, read “Ladies and Gentlemen, May I Have Your Attention, Please?”
How much better would it be if the whole world acknowledged God for the gifts that He gives us, instead of seeking only success for self? “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). Vertical thinking reminds us to give God honor when we are recognized for our talents.VT
- About the Author -
Randy Shoemaker comes from the Portsmouth, Ohio, area where he studies engineering. He has taken a year off to attend the Ambassador Bible Center near Cincinnati.
Do you have a proper Christian balance between “faith” and “wisdom”? How can you know?
If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time at all, odds are you’ve heard these concepts discussed. Faith seems to spur you on to try new things and step out, while wisdom often makes you stop and take a second look at what you’re doing.
The answer to achieving the correct balance is quite surprising!
Daniel, a young man who served several kings as a trusted adviser, faced this same predicament several times over the course of his life. One time he was given a powerful job in a new government, and it wasn’t long before a plot to bring Daniel down was hatched by envious coworkers.
The plan was simple: They would appeal to the king’s pride and get him to proclaim a decree that no one in the entire kingdom could ask anything of any god or man except for himself, on penalty of death. Daniel prayed several times a day, and these men knew that they could use this as an excuse to have him killed (Daniel 6:4-7).
Wisdom seemed to say that Daniel should either stop praying, or at least pray in secret rather than by his open window like he was used to. But faith told him to continue to serve God.
How did Daniel react? He kept doing what he knew he was supposed to do, stepping out on faith. It wasn’t long before he was reported and sentenced to death (verses 10-15).
Wait a minute? What about the balance between wisdom and faith? Isn’t this an unbalanced approach?
As it turns out, the apparent battle between these two concepts is based on a false view of what wisdom really is. The Bible speaks of two types of wisdom: God’s wisdom and the wisdom of mankind. What does it say about each?
Godly wisdom is described in Psalm 111:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.” Compare this to the description of human wisdom: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
According to God’s inspired words, wisdom isn’t a matter of analyzing things and arriving at your own conclusion of whether they look smart to you. What God desires for you is to have the wisdom to realize that you have the Creator of the entire universe on your side, to follow Him and not look to what is merely expedient.
How did this work out for Daniel? He was thrown into a den full of hungry lions, but God protected him through the night. His example of obedience was so profound that the king, upon bringing Daniel out and discovering him to be unhurt, had all of the envious coworkers tossed into the same den with very different results.
Daniel’s wise faith didn’t just preserve his life—his example led the king to make a decree that everyone “must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel” throughout the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:26). To learn more about Daniel’s amazing example, read “Profiles in Faith: Daniel: God Is My Judge.”
Don’t let anyone fool you into “balancing” your faith and your wisdom. Your faithis wisdom. Nothing is wiser than relying on your Creator as you follow what He, in His unending love, asks of you. VT
- About the Author -
BJ Foster is from Salem, Oregon, but he presently attends the Ambassador Bible Center near Cincinnati, Ohio.
