I was sent this email from someone to whom I’ve subscribed. I watched it and perked up at the statement Donnie makes,
Don’t be a slave to your gift, don’t be a slave to your ability.
Slavery and freedom are themes very close to my heart. I am never far away from acknowledging my frailties to glibly suggest I will never go back to some serious issues that held me bound for a long time. Some of them are so subtle, it does not take much to slip into some familiar habits. So freedom in Christ is something that I treasure and heartily encourage people to truly experience.
What I find really intriguing by this statement is something else that can become a trap and bondage in itself – gifts and abilities. They are things gleaned in the school system, they are factors praised in Christian circles and left unleashed they almost have a life of their own where almost anything is forgiveable because of it. Consider, ironically, the very gift of men like McClurkin who are dynamic by the charisma of their vocals in singing and preaching. These are gifts highly lauded and obvious and to which some naturally gravitate and associate with being closer to God. Yet these are the same gifts that have been abused to gain the trust of people and manipulate them for various deceitful behaviour.
There is also the tendency towards categorising gifts and abilities as more essential and desirable than others so that different classes of people emerge, i.e. the talkers tend to decide what happens and thus must be the more spiritual. It is no surprise then, that because of this wrong emphasis on gifts and abilities at the cost of true Christ-like character, corporate gatherings are hardly mutually beneficial – everyone does not get to contribute whatever god has given them. Real challenging Christian fellowship is substituted for led experiences in song and in spoken word that is more reminiscent of a spectator sport than the community Christ died to create.
This is not a slam against those gifts and abilities. It is right and proper to discover and utilise gifts to the best of the ability of those with it, but Jesus will not just judge us on how we used our gift. Indeed our use of the gift has to be part of the character-driven response to the relationship we have with God and each other that best expresses those gifts.
What makes the issue all the more pressing is that often the world can seem to be a place that also judges people on what they can offer rather than who they are. The “What Have You Done For Me Lately” mentality appears where it’s about performance-based rather than character-based. The crucial difference between the two is that with the latter contentment is found in relationship even without living up to certain behavioural expectations. That in itself releases people to be and love without pressure of conforming to other’s perceptions – but on what they find in God.
That’s the joy of the journey of community – started in family and expanded to those who are part of the Family of God. Helping people to be free to be what God has created them to be with the purity of heart that God calls for, without complying to lifeless rituals and the like is something that excites me as well as challenges me not to base who I am on what I can do, but who I am in God and live in contentment with that.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 