Proverbs 27:23-27... Maximizing Talent

²³ Know the state of your flocks,

      and put your heart into caring for your herds,
 ²⁴ for riches don’t last forever,
      and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
 ²⁵ After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
      and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
 ²⁶ your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
      and your goats will provide the price of a field.
 ²⁷ And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
      your family, and your servant girls.

Proverbs 27:23-27

While reading Proverbs I stumbled over a fact that’s both exhilarating and inspiring… Here it is…  We are all amazing individuals!!!  That’s right… I am amazing.  You’re are amazing.  Your loved ones are amazing.  Our adversaries are even amazing.  This is probably the reason God tells us to love our enemies!  (See Psalm 139:13-14 and Matthew 5:42-44)

God Did It!

Before my head exploded with the air of self-importance due to my “amazingness,” another fact transformed potential arrogance into humility and gratitude.  We are amazing for one reason… God made us.  As Christians the Bible assures us that..

• We are God’s Workmanship (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We each have Good (and God-Centered) Purposes (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We have all been Equipped with Everything We Need to Achieve an Abundant Life (Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:20-21 and Philippians 4:13).

    
God’s Done His Part…. Now It's Our Turn!

If the above is true, why aren't we all experiencing victorious lives?  The answer is captured in a concept called “Talent Management. ”  While God has given each of us very specific skills and gifts, our job is to manage those talents in a way that maximizes them (See Romans 12:4-8).  Being "amazing" is ordinary but being "effective" is great (See Matthew 20:25-28).  Great people focus on maximizing their gifts!

Maximizing Your Talents

Proverbs 27:23-27 provides a crash course in Maximizing our Talents.  This text tells us we can make the most of our gifts by…

• Taking a Realistic Inventory… Proverbs 27:23 encourages us to “Know the state of [our] flocks…”  In other words, identify your strengths and maximize them.  Understand your short comings and overcome them.  While you may never be the best at your shortcomings, you can improve them to a satisfactory level.  This will ensure that your current weaknesses do not become permanent limitations.   While dealing with weaknesses is important, you’ll want to spend the majority of your time building upon your strengths. 

Identifying Your Strengths
What are your strengths?  What comes easily to you?  What do you do in a special way that can’t be taught?  It may be speaking, singing, listening, analyzing, sewing, encouraging, advising, organizing, assisting…  God has blessed us all with special gifts.  Make sure you are not overlooking or undervaluing any of yours.  

• Passionately Refine Your Gifts… The second part of Proverbs 27:23 says, “…Put your heart into caring for your herds.”  This essentially means make the most of your talents.  Once you indentify your gifts, passionately develop them.  If you’re naturally a good speaker, practice will make will make you a great one.  If you’re naturally a good advisor, investing in the right courses  will make you a better one.  Gifts are diamonds in the rough.  They must be polished and developed (See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

• Look Past the “Middle” and Focus on the “After.”  Proverbs 27:25 says, “After you have…[identified your talents and developed them],” you will start to reap the fruits of effectiveness.  Here’s the problem… A lot of people start strong but somewhere in “the middle” they lose sight of the “after.”  The “after” represents both the reasons and the rewards.  Marathoners don’t run to simply experience exhaustion, leg cramps and muscle pain.  No… If someone successfully completes a marathon, it’s because they never lost sight of one thing… Crossing the Finish Line (See Hebrew 12:1-13)!

Jesus: The Ultimate Talent Maximizer  

Jesus identified His purpose and talents (See Luke 2:41-50). He utilized them again and again and again (See Matthew 4:23-25).  Simply put, He passionately developed them. During the toughest “middle” ever (i.e. Crucifixion) he focused on the “after” which was defeating death and giving you and I the right to have abundant life and a relationship with God the Father (See Philippians 2:5-11 and Ephesians 1:5)!

Jesus is the “After” to focus on!  When all else fails, look to Him to get you back online, back in line and to the finish line (See Philippians 3:12-14)!

Today I will Maximize the Gifts that God has Given Me!