Godly people exact the talent God has given them. Are you one of them? There is no doubt God gives a talent or more to all men and women according to His will. Yet, not all use them in the way He desires. The reason being all do not believe in Him. And when some say to have belief in Him and are failing in their endeavors, their faith is not whole; they are missing a gift. It can only be an advantage to exact from the talent God has given us. Hence, it brings sorrow to see believers fail in their attempts. Those that use their talent as God desires reap prosperity and blessings. Believers with unadulterated faith will be equipped to extract from their God-given talent; it is God who equips them so that they serve Him through various ways. He has a special gift in place for all who thoroughly trust in Him. For every talent He has created or given He cultivates it with that special gift. It brings Him perfect glory and is seen in the following. “You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom…” (Exod. 28:3).
The spirit of wisdom belongs to God. He has called believers to endow them with a wisdom that is unlike any other. You may be skillful in an area and yet, are not able to shine in it or you may not yet know the skill you really possess. Once God endows you with the spirit of wisdom you will know it. When He calls us to His service, He enlightens us to identify the talent He placed in us. And through our obedience will empower it with the spirit of wisdom. There are many skillful people in the world and they all exact from their skill for various reasons. But, it is the called alone who exact from their talent to glorify Him. In this their life is established. The spirit of wisdom which He pours on them forms an irreplaceable relationship with Him and it becomes their sustenance for their time on earth. By such sustenance their purpose on earth is fulfilled. If their purpose is being fulfilled, they are reaping all things God has reserved for them.
Without the spirit of wisdom no believer can glorify God; no believer can go forward in life for peace, joy and comfort. The spirit of wisdom changes our lifestyle, our way of thinking and the manner in which we proceed to do works. In other words, God intelligently directs us so that we are wise. He places in us thoughts and ways that no man with other talents or with a similar talent to us can possess. Beyond this He causes all things to work for us so that we do not fail or face loss. Often believers are seen striving to honor Him apart from the spirit of wisdom. It is for this reason that their works, their praising Him and even their worship to Him become lackluster. If they are without it, it is because He has not yet endowed it on them; and it means their faith in Him still has impediments. On the contrary, believers with it are successful. Their works have meaning and hence, they last. There will be short circuits to the works we do when they are not by the spirit of wisdom. Short circuits are not delays, but destroyers. We may strive for a prolonged period of time with a view to accomplish our works by a certain degree of desire for them, but will eventually have to give up on them. In such times there will be anguish and shame; there will be loss of time, effort and wealth.
He who is with the spirit of wisdom has a different mindset.
- He is dependant. Because he no longer uses his talent for various reasons, he becomes dependant on the Lord. He faces dangers, persecutions, sufferings and delays, but has come to know and believes in the goodness of the Lord. Using our talent to glorify God necessitates our dependency on Him. Or else, we cannot justify exacting from it. And David said, “‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer’” (2 Sam. 22:2). David constantly worked by the spirit of wisdom God awarded him. Whether it was fighting the enemy or running from them, whether it was executing righteousness or justice, whether it was humbling himself before the lesser or living in a foreign land, he did them by the wisdom God gave him. Hence, God was proud to say He found a man after His own heart.
- He becomes a son to God. As a son would listen to his father, so does he listen to all God instructs him. God constantly instructs him by His Word. When a person is with the spirit of wisdom, it is understood that he or she has a listening spirit. They obeys His Father’s intent for him. “My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you” (Prov. 7:1).
Conversely, he who is without the spirit of wisdom causes his own downfall.
- He kills the fruitfulness of life. All the things he purposed to do and did will eventually turn against him. Nothing comes to his aid at the time of sorrow, fear and need. His end will be worse than his beginning. “So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem” (Jer. 52:14). Judah felt it. The reason is clear – the spirit of wisdom that keeps a person from sin and disobedience was not upon him. The spirit of wisdom subverts sin and rebellion by harnessing the God-given talent. One may have a great talent, but without the spirit of wisdom will go on to do things God dislikes. This brings his fall.
The best way to a complete life is for God to endow us with the spirit of wisdom. There are ways by which we can please Him for it. Everyone should make sure of it.
- Exercising sinless wisdom. Jesus forewarned us saying, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16). The two qualities of a serpent are to escape quickly from strangers before they notice him and when noticed by them show his position as firm. While there is no wrong with such qualities, to add to them the quality of doves does not allow shrewdness to contain sin. By applying these qualities one lives the life of sheep or gentleness.
- Desire for righteousness. Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). He is wishing that we desire to judge by righteousness. When this happens, God equips us with the spirit of wisdom. Then, our talent will be rightly exacted.
- Desire to be God’s mouth. We should incline our hearts and minds to speak the Word which the Lord is willing to give us. It is our unadulterated faith and purity of heart that allows Him to put His Word in us. The Word He gives to utter is because of the spirit of wisdom He bestows on us. “And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’’” (Acts 21:11).