Jesus’ famous parable of the talents (Matthew3 25:14-30) is an obvious place to start when talking about stewarding our gifts (or talents). And the obvious application is that God gives us gifts and abilities (some one, some ten), and He expects us to turn a profit on these gifts. They are not the kind of gifts that should sit on the mantel for display. In the parable they are called talents because that was an actual unit of currency at the time. Talents are money. In fact, our word talent comes from the Greek word for money.

Much has been said about how to determine what your spiritual gift is, and it’s possible to stall out right there and never get around to using our gifts because we can’t figure out what they are. But think of the money metaphor again. What ever you’ve got, even if it’s loose pocket change, get going on turning a profit. Move forward by faith.

God has bestowed a gift on each believer, and the purpose of these gifts is to “minister it to one another, as good stewards” (1 Peter 4:10). We are not to let our gifts tarnish in the drawer, but we are to be handling them, industriously using them, blessing others by means of them. Matthew Henry said, “These gifts improve by exercise, and brighten by being used.”  We use our gifts and talents for God’s glory and for the good of others, not for ourselves. But the gifts are like perishable food, and if they sit idle, they will rot.

We are called to be “about the Lord’s business” (Matthew Henry again) and “the more we do for God, the more we are indebted to Him for making use of us, and enabling us, for his service.” In other words, it is more blessed to give than receive. As we use our gifts for others, we are doing good to our own souls.

“Stir one another up to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). “Stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6). Why do we need so much stirring and prompting? If we have gifts, why are we not always eager to invest them and anticipate a big Read More

So often when we enter a new “era” in our lives, like turning fifty, we can feel a little unsettled about what’s ahead.  Old age hasn’t gotten a lot of good press, so we might be tempted to think that we need to uncover some dark mystery about how to go forward into new territory.

But no matter what our age, biblical principles remain the same. Thankfully, we don’t have to discover a new set of standards for old age. The Christian life is the same start to finish. It is a walk of faith, no matter what part of the road we are on. It is still just putting one foot in front of the other, doing our duty, trusting God, believing His promises, and pressing ahead.

Living a long time is actually a sign of God’s blessing. It isn’t a curse! “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). So getting older should be comforting to us, not worrisome. After all, God is blessing us.

It’s always good to return to basic biblical principles and review them to keep our perspective straight.Who are we? Where are we going? Where did we come from? These are as basic as it gets, and yet we can get muddled over them.

We are created in the image of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, forgiven of our sins, reconciled to God, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13). That’s who we are no matter what age. We don’t have to “reinvent” ourselves. He is our Read More

One of the temptations after twenty or thirty years of marriage is to start letting things coast. But rather than slacking off on our duties, we ought to be hitting our stride and getting really good at this. “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies” (Prov. 31:10). A godly wife isn’t just a real find when she’s twenty years old….she’s still worth a fortune when she’s in her sixties or seventies or eighties.

“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (vs. 11-12). All the days, not just the first couple of years. How ever many days the good Lord gives, a wife is preoccupied with doing her husband good.

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (vs. 30). It’s tempting for older women to chase after beauty via hours at the spa or the gym, expensive cosmetics and treatments, diets and exercise, bleaches and tans. There is a whole industry or two devoted to this. And older women may have more money to spend than they did when the kids were little, and they may have more time on their hands. But this is a race we can’t win (or buy). Beauty fades. And at some point, you’ve just got to let it go gray. When you hit eighty and you still have jet black hair, you’re not fooling anyone, and it starts to look just plain weird. A woman who fears the Lord is Read More