Swell Swells

As I was listening to my Spotify playlist this week, an oldie from Glen Campbell popped up: “The Wichita Lineman.” And, as I was listening to Glen’s version, I was reminded of something that I saw on The Voice last fall. It was the Season 21 “Knockout” round on October 26, and I would encourage you to take a look (and a listen). The three contestants whom you’ll see are siblings Caleb, Joshua, and Bekah Liechty from Pettisville, Ohio. They ended up becoming Kelly Clarkson’s fourth victory, and the first trio ever to win the competition …

Like you, perhaps, I was nearly mesmerized. Such incredible and undeniable giftedness! And that’s where my wheels are spinning today.

God has given each one of us gifts. While we tend to recognize obvious talents and skills in the lives of other people, we’re generally less comfortable thinking about our own giftedness. Maybe it’s a false sense of humility, or maybe it’s a latent fear that we don’t have any gifts. (Which I can assure you is quite untrue.) YOU ARE GIFTED OF GOD.

In fact I cracked open this idea Sunday morning when I preached Ephesians 2:10. (Have you memorized it yet?) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We are not saved to sit, but we are saved to serve. See also 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. And, not only has God gifted each one of us, but He has already prepared a context in which we will be able to serve Him faithfully. When you think of any of your spiritual gifts, think of it as God’s perpetual reminder that you belong to Him – like a stamp of approval. As we serve one another in love, not only does Christ shine as the Head of His body, but we come together in Him. It’s both remarkable and beautiful, and I’ll have more to say on the subject this Sunday.

Now I fully recognize that not everybody out there recognizes or validates God as the giver of every good gift. Lots of people in the public spotlight display marvelous gifts, but give no credit or glory to God whatsoever. Same with lots of people in the church, sadly.

But what’s our excuse? We know better. We know (or at least we ought to know) the source of our strength. We know the writer of the song in our step. In fact, we know Him by name.

I’m certainly no musician, but when I hear harmonies like the ones I just shared with you, I share the marvel of those judges: “The swell!” I think it’s part of being fully human to recognize how God shows off in His image-bearers.

Many people speak of finding themselves. That’s all well and good, I suppose, but I’ve seen more than one marriage ruined by overdoing the “finding myself” thing. What they did was lose themselves in the pursuit of themselves, and that tended to be in the arms of somebody else who just happened to have promised to be just-what-you’re-looking-for. Said differently, the only “finding myself” that counts is the finding of myself in Christ. That somebody is somebody worth searching for!

I encourage you to love on each other this week. Celebrate each other’s strengths and victories. Make it about pointing out what’s right about somebody else … they’re probably dying to hear it.

I’ll quote Dr. Sinclair Ferguson: “When we exercise the gifts which Christ has given us we are really saying to our fellow Christians and others: ‘See how much the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and cares for you; He has sent me to serve you in this way; He is using my hands and feet, my lips and ears, to show His love.’ It is a tragic mistake if we think that the message is: ‘See what a superb Christian I am; see the wonderful gifts I have’ … Gifts are for service, not self-advancement.”

Truth is: it’s not ultimately about us. It’s certainly not about me. Because – whether we recognize it or not – the real knockout winner is always Jesus.

Pastor Charles