CHAPTER FIVE
NEGLECT NOT THE GIFT IN YOU
“Neglect not the gift that is in thee…” (1Timothy 4:14)
There are many dormant or if you like, inactive talents at the moment. Many people, like the third servant in Matthew 25, have abandoned their talents. Some have buried their giftings while they’re alive.
Paul in his first letter to Timothy, warns him never to neglect the gift that is in thee. It’s an instruction. To despise your talent is to despise your destiny. To ignore your gifting is to ignore your future.
Many Don’t Appreciate Who They Are
Many people hate themselves. They don’t appreciate who they are; hence, they try to be someone else. Some people don’t even know who they really are. In Jesus’ parable, the master distributed talents based on the several abilities of the servants. The third servant was probably angry at the size of his own talent; so he buried it. At the end, he got punished.
There are many ordained to preach who want to enter into politics. There are many called to teach who want to preach instead. There are many created to be doctors who want to be lawyers. Indeed, there are many neglecting their potentials, in pursuit of other things.
There’s a day of reckoning I believe. When the master returned, it was reckoning day. Some were rewarded, one was punished. Today, many people live fulfilled lives, but many others are frustrated. In the end, it all depends on what you’ve done with your talent.
On Manipulated Giftings
The devil is crafty and deceitful. He has deceived many God-gifted people to use their talents for the wrong things. For example, there are many musicians singing for the devil today. But the gift of singing in the first place was given by God. In fact, singing started in heaven. The devil has however manipulated some to use their talents for him instead.
There are many authors writing to glorify demonic activities. Some write to arouse immoral interests in their prospective readers. They have a good initial gifting in writing, but it’s been manipulated by the devil.
Saul was persecuting the church, he was an orator. When God arrested him, he became a preacher, and his name became Paul. He was originally designed to preach, but the devil manipulated his talent for a while.
You have a gifting which is based on your design! Don’t ignore it and don’t be manipulated to use it for the wrong purposes.
You Don’t Have Forever
One of the most important verses in the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3:1: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Every God-given assignment is timed. There is a timeframe. Remember you have an assignment plus a talent to help you fulfill that assignment. But every assignment has an appointed time.
In the physical, there is rainy season and there is dry season. When it’s dry season, rain stops. Similarly, we are all here on earth for a season. In fact, life itself is timed. No one was designed to live in the flesh forever.
Therefore you must maximize all your potentials while you have the time. Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.” There is a night time coming.
I’ve heard some people say “I wish I had a second chance.” Most times they never get it. Do all you need to do now so that you won’t be found at 70 trying to do what you should have done at 30.
Quench Not the Spirit
1 Thessalonians 5:29 says “Quench not the spirit.” When you neglect your potential, you will quench it! It will become inactive and unproductive. Don’t let your passion go down. I started writing even when I wasn’t thinking of publishing any. I was just a teenager. The passion was there, it never quenched. I always knew that some day, I would get published.
If you discover a potential, and you do nothing about it; in three months, it will die. The passion will die. The spirit will be quenched.