Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Character – 1 Timothy 6:20-21 – Entrusted To Your Care – Growing As Disciples

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.                                           1 Timothy 6:20-21 (NIV)

Use Your Gifts

I know that you have given gifts, talents, and abilities to me. My gifts, talents and abilities have been entrusted to my care. They are not to be misused. They are not to be left unused. What a waste that would be. What a tragedy it would be to one day report to you that I had never used the gifts, talents and abilities that you gave to me. That would be a tragedy. I know you won’t allow that to happen to you. You want to bear fruit for my kingdom. You want to bring glory to my name. Yes, that is the desire of my heart. I want nothing more or nothing less than that. That is very good.

Let’s talk about how someone might fail to use the gifts, talents, and abilities that I have given to them. How might that happen? How could that possibly occur? I think it would be possible for someone to either misuse or fail to use the gifts, talents and abilities that you have given to them. Let’s talk about each possibility. Someone might misuse the gifts, talents and abilities by following the wisdom of the world. If they did that, their entire life would be completely off course. They most likely would pursue money and value things. They would chase after all that the world offered. They would invest their life in what would amount to nothing. They came into the world with nothing and they would leave the world with nothing. All their treasure would be stored up on earth. They would have no treasure stored up in heaven with you. They would have borne no fruit for your kingdom. They would have brought no glory to your name. This would be a godless and wasted life. Yes, that’s true.

There is another negative possibility. What’s that? It would be possible for someone to be so lazy and unmotivated that they never got around to discovering the gifts, talents and abilities you gave to them. They might not ever go where you guided them. They might never do what you asked of them. If they never stepped out in faith to serve you, they would never discover and use the gifts, talents and abilities that you gave to them. No, they would not. They certainly would never allow you to develop and shape their gifts, talents and abilities. That’s true.

But, you are guarding the gifts, talents and abilities that I have given to you. You are not allowing your life to go off course. You are not lazy and unmotivated. You are willing to go where I guide you. You are willing to do whatever I ask of you. You are willing to fully use every gift, talent and ability I have given you to serve me. Yes, I am. That is very good.

Lord, thank you for the gifts, talents and abilities you have given to me. I will wisely and faithfully use all you have entrusted to my care so I can encourage others in their faith. Help me to bring back to you those who have foolishly wandered away from you. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Character – 1 Timothy 6-20-21 – Entrusted To Your Care – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com