Go With The Strength You Have

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our Tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Good morning. Needs to be what? Down or up? Up? I think this is gonna be great.

Okay. So good to see you guys here. It's fun to have family in from out of town for today. We got it's a busy weekend here in Jackson because it's a high school graduation and so people are graduating. Families are in town and so, it's so great to see all of you.

Thank you for being here with us today. Thanks for being here this weekend. Thanks for supporting and loving your graduates. Oliver Lack graduated which is great. So, along with other lots of other students, Yeah.

Yeah. Maybe they're sleeping sleeping in. Okay, guys. I'm so glad that you are are here. We have been in a series of great conversations.

I believe that today for if you have ears to hear, if you have ears to hear, I think that the lord would have something special to impart to you and I feel like while it may be related to the message this morning, one of the great things about the Holy Spirit is he always like feels free to call an audible and may speak to you about something completely different than what we're talking about and so be be listening for that. As we, alright, Hucks, here we go. As we get into today's conversation, we have been in a series that I'm series of conversations that I'm calling Work Smarter and Not Harder. And if you've been with us for a little while, we are this series of conversations that we're in has come from first Kings and what's interesting about first Kings is there's a a little passage there that in the context of the greater story, it's really easy to miss a small detail and this detail stood out to me and it was the springboard for the series of conversations that we've been having. And if you're new to Tribe or if you haven't been here in a while, you've heard me say that word just a few times, conversation.

I mean that intentionally. I really would like for us to have a conversation about what we're going to talk about today. I mean, look at the room that we're in. It would be weird if I like stood at a pulpit and like delivered like a sermon without any input or collaboration from you guys. We're squeezed in to this living room here.

So, it just makes sense. Why don't we do this collaboratively like a team effort? And so as I'm sharing things, if you have questions, comments, or connections, all you have to do is raise your hand, and we'll get the mic to you. I know it's small enough you probably don't need a mic here in the room, but for all of our families that are traveling and going hither and thither around the country and around the world, they get to tune in and participate and hear your wonderful contribution to our conversation. So, with that in mind, I want to put this verse up here on the screen.

First Kings chapter five verse six and this is what we, this is kind of been the the springboard for what we've been talking about. It says this, as you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like the Sidonians. Am I right? So, you can go back and listen to prior episodes or why don't you just get in your Bible and you can go and read the greater context for what we've been talking about here in first Kings chapter five. But in the same way, what we've said is this, in the same way that the Sidonians had sharp tools, we too must also keep our tools sharp.

How are you gonna have a reputation of being an expert lumberjack if you, A, don't have tools and B, don't keep them sharp? And so if you're gonna have a reputation for being a world class woodcutter as the Sidonians apparently were, you didn't get to be a world class woodcutter by just gnawing trees like a beaver with your teeth. That's not the tools that we've been given. They used axes and saws, and if you're going to use tools, you've gotta keep them sharp. And then what we said is our tools are the gifts and talents God gives us to accomplish our unique calling.

Our tools are the gifts and talents God gives us to accomplish our unique calling. And our tools, just like the Sidonians, can be dull or they can be sharp. And so it's one thing to take an axe or to tediously and methodically sharpen each of the cutting edge of a chain of a chainsaw, that's one thing, but what about the gifts and tools that we've been given? How do we keep them sharp? What's that look like?

What's the difference between a dull tool and a sharp tool? And what we said is a dull tool is a gift or talent that is used in the flesh. And a sharp tool is a gift or talent that is used, surrendered to, under the leadership of, by the direction of, and the empowerment of the spirit. And then as we were going on in our conversation, what I quickly discovered from our conversation and from your feedback because you guys always give me feedback. Oh, that is true.

I did. So, oftentimes, especially after the first week that we started this conversation, people like, oh, wait, wait, wait. And it wasn't in here but it was coming up to me like, okay, so what about this and what about this? And people get words like gifts and talents, calling, identity, our occupation, our vocation, our ministry, all these different words can kind of get jumbled up and so, one of the goals of this series of the conversation that we're being in is to untangle some of these words, assign some clear definitions to them, and then put them in the proper place so that we can catalog them in our mind and incorporate them into our life. And so where we've been so far is we've talked about identity and calling so far, And I think this is will be up on the screen.

Our identity answers the question, who am I? Like Zoolander. Who am I? She loved that joke. Our calling answers the question, what was I born to do?

So so far, we've talked about our identity and our calling. Our identity answers the question, who am I? Our calling answers the question, what what was I born to do? So that's that kinda brings you up to speed. And today, if you have your bible with you, would you turn to the book of Judges chapter six?

As we started this series of conversations, I thought that we would be going from passage to passage, story to story, but there's just so much good stuff in Judges chapter six that we'll just camp out here for a little while longer. Judges chapter six, we're gonna read verses 11 through 23 together and one of the other fun, unique, distinctives about us here in our cozy living room is we like to take turns reading and so, Aaron has the mic in the room and would somebody please read for us Judges chapter six verse 11 through 23.

Now the angel of the lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, and while I would not have

Oh, yeah.

Thanks. Thanks, guys. Abbezzarite. There you go. His son, Gideon, was beating out wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, the Lord is with you, oh mighty man of valor. And Gideon said to him, please, my lord, if the lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us saying, did not the lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian. And the Lord turned to him and said, go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian.

Do not send do not I send you? And he said to him, please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest of Manasseh. Mhmm. And I am the least in my father's house.

And the Lord said to him, but I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. And he said to him, if now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring you bring out my present and set it before you. And he said, I will stay till you return. So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from the ephaph of flour.

The meat he put in a basket and the broth he put in a pot and brought them to him under the terebinth and the and presented them. And the angel of God said to him, take the meat and the unleavened cakes and put them on this rock and pour the broth over them, and he did so. Then the angel of the lord reached out to the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes, and the fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened cakes, and the angel of the lord vanished from his sight. Then, Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the lord and Gideon said, alas, lord god, for now, I have seen the angel of the lord face to face but the lord said to him, peace be with you. Do not fear.

You shall not die.

Isn't that great when the lord appears to you and says, you shall not die. No more and peace be with you. No more comforting words have ever be spoken. If you're taking notes this morning, you can write at the top of your notes the title of the conversation that we're going to have today. And it is, this is Work Smarter, Not Harder week four, go with the strength you have.

And today, we're going to be talking about our gifts and talents. As we look through the passage that we just read, I invite you to put your nose in the text, scan through this, and let's see if we can identify, even though we haven't defined or distinguished the difference between a gift and a talent, for right now let's just put them together. We're going to separate them and be more precise and more articulate but for right now, it's okay. You shall not die. Let's let's put these together and let's see if we can identify what are Gideon's gifts and talents and we're going to identify them more precisely.

We're going to define each of those words but let's look at what we just read. We didn't just read this in the same way that Lyssa led us in worship just because you start every church service with some songs. We start church service because look at us. We're all here together. We get, we come all together and it's on a Sunday.

We all are either on our journey discovering about Jesus or we know him and we're in love with him. What's the first thing we do when we get together? Before we do anything else, you know what we should do? Let's sing to and about Jesus. Sounds great.

Let's do it. Then, we get into the word. We don't read god's word just because that's the next part of the the service. We're reading god's word to discover about him, to discover about ourselves for the lord to speak to us and so, as we read together what we just read, thank you, Ella, let's now begin to consider the text at a little bit deeper level looking for what could be Gideon's gifts and talents. What do you see?

Just raise your hand and we'll talk about it. What do you see? Yes. As we look through verses 11 through 23, we are looking to identify what could be Gideon's gifts and talents. And we are going to we are we're going to define them a little closer here in a moment, but let's just see what we can discover in God's word as we look at it together.

I love to see people with their their pages rustling or their fingers scrolling on their Bible app, of course. I can repeat the question one more time. Look at how

severe they are to

answer. Okay. Let me repeat the question, and then you take a swing at it. Alright? Am I asking the question weirdly?

No. They just haven't had enough coffee? It Okay.

His gifts. Okay. Yes.

What can we see as Gideon's gifts and talents? Alright. Khalib, what do you what do you see?

I see two qualities

Okay. Oh, great. With him. K.

That I would consider a gift such as humility and maybe servanthood.

Oh.

He says he's the least, which he may not be, but he says he's he kinda humbles himself in let's see. Verse 15.

Okay. Verse 15.

And then in 18, he says

Verse 18.

I don't even know who you are really. Need some proof, but I'm gonna give you some food. Yeah. And so let me make you a nice dinner.

So he's so you're saying he's probably southern.

And then he does a big he he makes it a big thing. I don't know. It's like several verses of him cooking this meal Okay. For this.

Alright. So humility. So somebody just texted me who's watching the livestream, and they also said humility that they see in the text. In servanthood.

That was a divine segue because I immediately also thought of I'm from Southern Louisiana. He's from Texas. I was like, Gideon put together a barbecue.

Me throw you a barbecue.

Because he went home. I mean, he took you don't just go to the grocery store back then. Right. He had a goat that was alive, and he took it from alive to ribs for Jesus

Yes.

Over the course of at least several hours. Yes. If you've never butchered an animal, it takes a long time Yes. To get that thing from walking around to ribs. Yes.

So he put in and what was he thinking about that whole time? He was sitting there making whipping up this barbecue like, I don't know, but I'm gonna make something real nice and hopefully Jesus

is gonna like

rock and Jesus is is all for it.

Yes. Now he says Jesus, Jesus is not implicitly overtly stated in the text but many people believe whenever you see that phrase, the angel of the lord that that often times, let me say, sometimes. Sometimes that can be what's known theologians, touch your corner of your glasses, say pre incarnate Jesus. So that's where Chris is getting that. Okay.

So, humility, servanthood, hospitality. Hospitality.

Okay.

So, interestingly enough, I mean, I I those were not highlighted to me in the text. So, I'm seeing these things interesting. Now, humility. Do you think that that is a gift, a talent, or perhaps an attribute? Humility Humility.

Yep. But I said humility. Oh, humility. I must be wrong. I I said humility.

That's not what I heard, so you're wrong. It's very family, by

the way.

Yes, it is. Welcome if you're visiting. So would humility be more a gift, a talent, or an attribute? Here's where I'm going. It's an attribute.

Let me tell you. It's an attribute of one's personality that can be developed. And this will become more clear as we define gifts and talents, okay? So hold on to your scrunchy eyebrows. What else is it what what do you see?

I don't know if this is where you're going, but the lord says, lord said to him, I will be with you. You will destroy the Midianites in '16. And then above that, he says, then the lord turned to him and said, go with the strength you have and rescue Israel. So with those two things, I would maybe say his the question was what is his calling? What

could be his gifts and talents?

His gifts and talents? Rescuer?

Mhmm. Sure. Okay. Now we're getting a little closer there. So this will help us.

I wanted to see, without providing you with a lot of definitions so that we can be on the same page. I wanted to initially see like what's your vibe? I'm doing a vibe check. Now, let's define some things and then we'll reexamine the scriptures to see if maybe something else pops out for us. Okay.

What is the difference between a gift and a talent? Well, let's define this. A talent could be defined as a natural ability. For the purpose of our conversation today at Tribe, a talent could be defined as a person's natural ability. We will give examples soon, and then look at what a gift, how we define a gift.

A gift is god's super on a person's natural. A talent is a natural ability and a gift is god's super on our natural. And we'll continue to define this. You can write this down. Gifts and talents are tools.

This is really important. Gifts and talents are tools given to us to help us accomplish our calling that comes from our deep sense of identity. So, if I had given you that definition before we opened it up, what do you see as there as Gideon's gifts and talents that might have helped you but I'm just doing a vibe check. Don't worry. You were not graded on any of those answers while they were still great answers.

So now with that definition in mind, you can leave that up, Huxley. Gifts and talents are tools. Tools by a definition of physics and engineering help a person accomplish work. Gifts and talents are tools given to us to help us accomplish our calling that comes from a deep sense of identity. With that definition in mind, let's go back, look at those verses one more time.

Would you have a different answer or do you see something different or now, do you see something new? Knowing this is our definition of what a gift and talent is. If it's a tool to help us do work, humility could help us in the how we do the work but to help us accomplish the work, what could be a gift or a talent that you see in Gideon? Huxley, what do you see?

He spent a lot of time to make new food, so we had like patience.

Okay. Patience. Yes. Humility, patience, all those things can be seen. How about this?

Let let me help you narrow it down. Look at this verse here. Verse 14. We're looking for gifts and talents. Zoom in on verse 14.

What do you see? It's literally in the title of the conversation we're having this morning. What? Strength. Yeah.

Yeah. Go with the strength you have. Gideon has an amount of strength and it's not defined whether it's physical, emotional fortitude, or whatever. Ella, was I taking what you were gonna

I was

gonna say

Come on, Ella. Come on. Come on. Ella, she's got the mic. Let her talk.

I was raising my hand. Yes. No, well my version says go in the might you

have. Woah.

And so I feel like might helps clarify what type of strength that other versions Okay. Might have. The I think might is is a physical attribute, but it's also, like, a characteristic of a personality, and so it's, like, the lord gave Gideon this might in order, like, this fire inside him. He's, like, well you guys, well you Lord, like, freed us. Like, he's kinda like battling with the Lord in his I don't know, just like in the personality that he has.

Does that make, does that make like any sort of sense? Like, his might isn't just like physical, but it's also like, he has a might of justice, so I think that's what this

is Okay, coming yeah, hand the microphone to Carissa, and let me, I'll enjoy that translation's wording of the word might because as later as we see Gideon in some of the like like saboteur tactics that he employs, like it requires some might, that there is some fiery passion behind his strength. Yes. Oh, I like that. I like that. Carissa, what do you see?

So I love how everybody's like, he's humble and he's just like, I love

all that. And all I see is homeboy's hiding.

Hiding?

And he's like a rebel. But I think I agree with

what Ella's saying about his passion for justice because it takes

a lot of something. If you think you're in the presence of the angel of the lord, and you're like, but god, like, where is the justice in this? But homeboy is hiding. So first of all, I think he's kind of a coward. And I think that because he's the least in his family and the least clan, that

it's just God gets all the glory.

So it's not even necessarily something that is innate in him, it's just

God does all of it.

Oh, how great. What a great point to, we'll add that as part of our overall landscape painting that when a life, a person's life is submitted and surrendered to the leadership of the Lord and he uses them in a mighty way employing their gifts and their talents that comes from their identity and they walk in their calling that it's something way bigger and more amazing than any one person could have done in their own strength and god gets the glory. That's kind of the goal of all of this. So, really well said. Sarah, and then we're gonna keep going.

Right here. I

see I see Gideon as a worker. He was threshing wheat and he was a provider. He was working hard to provide for his family even if his family was the least of the clan. So, that was his natural. Yeah.

And when God added the super to his natural, that was a leader.

Woah. He's a hard worker.

He's a hard worker, and God chose him because when he added his supernatural strength, then he could be a leader that would win in a battle.

Oh. Amanda's mom, everyone. So this is this is not implicitly stated in the text, but we can draw clues from several different places of the story of Gideon that and somebody suggested this earlier in our series of conversations, that what if what if Gideon's occupation was that of a baker? He's threshing wheat. We see him baking bread.

Later, he overhears a dream about a big barley roll coming down. And how can you lead a nation when you're when you have the skill of being a hard worker and just a baker? You're like, how can a baker be a leader of a nation and defeat armies and route bad guys? And what's great is when you submit your gifts and your talents to the leadership of the lord, he can do incredible things with it. So, don't ever ever discount.

Well, I can't write a book. I can't sing a a a big song. I can't and typically our minds go to these talents. America's got talent and you see these incredible things like how did he do that? I can only do this.

Don't ever discount or discredit that when you put it in the hands of the lord, you'll be surprised what he can do. So, I I wrote this in my notes as well. Today, I see lots of people who confuse their ideology with their identity. So looking at looking at this verse. This is this is keep this on the screen.

I see a lot of people who confuse their ideology with their identity. And you know that this has happened when any challenge to their ideology becomes an attack on their identity. And they often typically have a very visceral emotional response. So when you are engaging with somebody about any number of things, and it's like you're trying to have a conversation with them, and all of a sudden they go from zero to 10. Oh, where did that come from?

I'm just trying to have a conversation with you about fill in the blank whatever it is. It's possible that they have have bought into an ideology so deeply that they've confused it with their identity. And so any attack or challenge to an ideology, and the the root word of ideology is idea. One of the things that that that has made societies in the history of the world great is the ability to present, to articulate, to argue, and to defend an idea until a better idea comes along. But many people take their ideas and they defend them so closely that an ideology then becomes their identity, especially if they have nothing transcendent with which to give them an identity.

And remember, we've already talked about our identity. That their ideology becomes their identity, and then they will defend that because any challenge or attack or counterpoint then becomes an attack on them personally. Do with that what you will. Let's do this. Let's take a look at several examples of people using their gifts and or their talents from the Bible that can help us better understand what the lord is doing to equip us when he gives us at a calling.

He never gives us a calling without equipping us to fulfill that calling and so let's look at several different people from the Bible to be able to see what their gifts and talents were. The first person that we're gonna look at has a really fun name, Bezalel, and if you have your Bibles open, why don't you hang a left and go to Exodus chapter 31? We're gonna look at this guy named Bezalel. Exodus chapter 31 verses, I said one through 61. No, not that far.

I'm not to read that. It's a little joke. How about we only read until six verse six? I'll read it. You flip there.

Yeah.

So

that's a joke. Slaps knee. I'll read it. Then the lord said to Moses, look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the spirit of god, given him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.

He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft. And I have personally appointed Ephesians, son of of the tribe of Dan to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make.

For the greater context, if you're like, what in the world are we talking about? God is giving instructions to Moses on how to construct the tent of meetings or the tabernacle where god's presence would dwell in and among the nation of Israel and he's giving them the blueprint for building the tent and then he says, I've got, I've got my man here, Bezalel. So, looking at these verses, what do you see that could be, oh, let's do this. This will be really fun. What could be Bezalel's calling?

There you go. To be the craftsman, to to be the to have the eye for design for constructing the tabernacle. That was his calling. Great. Make the tabernacle beautiful.

What was his talent? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes.

He was a craftsman. He wasn't a he didn't spend his whole life hunting and then wake up one day and like, well, now I'm going to be a craftsman. He already was a craftsman and you can see in the description that he already had experience doing these things. A talent is something that you have a knack for. Whether you do it all the time or you could go for long periods of time not engaging in this activity but as soon as you pick it up, you're like, oh yeah, muscle memory kicks in and you're like, and people would look at you, see you performing that task or that activity or whatever and they're like, oh my gosh, do you do this every day?

I haven't done it in fifteen years. What? You really have a knack for that. Here comes the microphone.

Wouldn't his talent be problem solving? Because that's those are all skill sets that you can learn. But problem solving, have a natural bent for seeing solutions to problems. The skills of learning a craft or woodworking or just it's all just kind of like having the vision or being able to see the end product in mind, and then developing the solution to get from A to B.

So let me, so, It certainly could be a companion, but if we are confining ourselves to the text, in the text, there is no mention of problem solving or necessarily of problem solving or leadership. You would think there's a lot to do in order to construct the tabernacle. But what we're looking for are his calling. We can see that in the text. His talent in the text, we can see that that he already is a master craftsman.

But now, let's look for the gift. What's the gift? There you go. What what verse are you in? Yes.

Verse three. Look at verse three. I have filled him with the spirit of god, giving him great wisdom, some problem solving there. Alright. So, looks like it is in the text.

Perfect. Ability and expertise in all kinds of crafts. So if he has a natural knack for carving little figurines or working in gold filigree. I don't even know what that word means. You just called me out on trying to stretch a word.

Just let it go. There. Yeah. Yes. Florally things.

Foiling. Foiling. Yes. Same. But different.

The filigree on the foilery, filery on the, alright. Verse three. So look. Look. What is his calling?

To make the tabernacle beautiful. What is Bezalel's talent? He's a master craftsman. But what was his gift? God has filled him with the spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.

So when you take that talent and you surrender it to the leadership of god and you cultivate it with with practice, god's like, now, I'm going to put my super on your natural. And what? Oh, yes and his team. Wow. What if you aren't aware of your gifts and talents?

I would suggest that you submit yourself, partner up with, serve under somebody who has a strong sense of identity, has a clear calling on their life, and is operating in their gifts and talents. When you operate on a team like that, you get the blessing that they're walking in. Wanna look at another example? Alright, glad you do. Yes.

Esther, turn to the book of Esther. Now, whenever you read the book of Esther, there's always one fun trivia item that trivia note that you should always be aware of as you read the book of Esther. It's it's something that distinguishes it from every other book of the Bible. And it's not an inclusion. It's actually an omission from the book of Esther that distinguishes it from all of the other books of the Bible.

Tell us Amanda. What? Who? Yeah. There you go.

Okay. I'm making eye contact with you. God is not mentioned directly by name. Okay. Alright.

At all. In the book of Esther. Alright. Alright. Esther chapter two look at verses five through seven.

Would somebody if you if you have that page loaded, would you read Esther chapter two verses five through seven and then jump over and read 15 through 17. Would you read that for us?

Five five through seven, and then 15 through 17?

Okay. Cool.

Yes. Now, there was a in the citadel of Susa, a Jew tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai, son of Jair, the son of Shameh, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Among those taken captive with Jahoyakin, king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother had died. Skipping on over to fifteen. Mhmm. When the turn came for Esther, the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle, Abihaal, to go to the king. She asked for nothing other than what Haggai, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the harem suggested.

And so Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. Now the king was attracted to Esther, more than any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown upon her head and made her her queen instead of Vashti. If

Bezalel the bunny slopes, green, As we go to this next example in terms of seeing it and pulling out what we're talking about from the story, you have to broaden your scope, you have to look a little more carefully, and I would say this would be like the equivalent of a blue black run, alright? It's a little more challenging. And if you're familiar with the story of Esther, let's look at what would her calling be. Exactly. Save the Jews from genocide.

And I use that word specifically and intentionally because the bad guy in the story, Haman, wanted to wipe out every single one of the Jews. For what purpose and why? Because he had hate in his heart and for no other reason other than that they were Jews. Alright. Type and shadow.

Now, let's look for Esther's natural talent. It's admittedly you need to read into the text a little bit. If Bezalel was a green bunny slope, he's a master craftsman. Okay. There's a talent.

And then his his gift is, I've filled him with the spirit of God. We gotta look a little deeper in the narrative of Esther. Just just say it. What do you think her talent could be? Persuasion.

Influence. Oh, influence. She she was pretty. So filled so that's where I was kinda going. She has a talent.

Her her her talent, her natural talent, and she had natural beauty, grace, and charm. So, you've heard the, you've heard the the the saying putting lipstick on a pig. It doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on the pig, it's still a pig. So, so, but with Esther, she had this raw beauty. She got brought in to the the the queen's harem.

She received all these beauty treatments and and things like that to make her to make her more beautiful but you gotta start with like a baseline of something, alright? So, in this story, I would suggest to you that while her calling is super clear to save the Jews from genocide, her talent could be her and and you see it in verse seven, her beauty, her grace, and her charm. She just has those. She was born with it. But now, what about her gift?

For that, let's look at verse 14. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Verse 14 of chapter four. I know we didn't read that.

I know we didn't read that. Go forward. Go forward. Chapter four verse 14. What would her gift be?

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this? The gift that god gave her was her strategic placement. So, a gift, remember, if we go back to our definition, it's god's super. It's what he does.

It's what he orchestrates. It's what he sovereignly touches a person with. The gift that god gave Esther was the strategic placement at that time. And you can jump forward in the story. Again, you don't actually need to turn there unless you'd like to.

Chapter seven verse three. Queen Esther replied, if I have found favor with the king and if it pleases the king, my request is that the life is that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. I think maybe somebody said this persuasion. How about favor? I, this is one of the gifts that I recognize on other people.

There's just favor on their life and you probably can relate to this and if you're like, I've never met anybody like it. Well, then, you're probably the person with it But have you ever been around somebody that like, they're just favor on their life? Like, you show them something new and within like two seconds, they're like, oh, is this how you do it? And you're like, well, you're doing it better than me already. Or when they try Jacob.

Yes. With mustache growing. Or when, like, in school, like, academics seem to come easy to them or sports seem to come easy to them or maybe they work really hard, but these opportunities like open up and you're like, that's the like, do you want to go hiking this weekend? No, it's the craziest thing. I got an invitation to Abu Dhabi to meet with the ambassador there.

What? Like, yeah, it's so crazy. There's just favor on their life. Have any of you ever met or known somebody like that? There's just favor that rests on their life.

Well, that could be a clue to the the gift of god. So, I would suggest to you that Esther is one of those people. She was adopted into this family. Yeah, I mean, she she's pretty. Okay, but like pretty only get you so far but now, here she is.

In in the inner circle of the king and is strategically placed by the lord to literally be through her grace and her charm and god's supernatural favor on her life be in a position to save herself, her immediate family, and her entire race. Her people, Jews. What were you gonna say? And we have one more example, and then we'll land the plane.

Well, I was gonna say like, because originally when you were asking about her talents, like, yes, beauty, but I think also it's fair to say that she, like, has faithfulness. Because in this situation where she is strategically placed, she is faithful to what Mordecai asks of her, which is to use this position for this purpose. And that she, you know Mordecai says, yeah, you've been put here for such a time as this, and then she says, okay, like go gather the people, like let's fast. And so I would say that she does have a talent of faithfulness

as well. Oh that's so great, and I agree with you, that is wonderful. Wanna look at one more example. Let's look at one more example. Acts chapter nine.

So turn over to the New Testament. Acts chapter nine. Women are getting a lot of shout outs today. Acts chapter nine, let's look at Tabitha. Acts chapter nine verse 32 through 39.

Why? I can read that. Acts chapter two verse 32 through 39. Yes. Peter heals Ananias and raises Dorcas.

Verse 32. Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydia. There, he met a man named Aranias who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, Aranias, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up, roll up your sleeping mat, and he was healed instantly.

Then the whole population of Lydia, Sharon, saw Arrhenius walking around and they turned to the lord. There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time, she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room but the believers had heard that Peter was nearby and Lydia.

So, they sent two men to beg him. Please come as soon as possible. So, Peter returned with him. As soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them.

But Peter asked them all to leave the room, then he knelt and prayed, turning to the body, he said, get up, Tabitha, and she opened her eyes, when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then, she then he called in the widows and all the believers and he presented her to them alive. Ta the. News spread through the whole town and many believed in the lord and Peter stayed a long time in Joppa living with Simon, a tanner of hides.

Alright. It's time once again to play that game. Name that talent. Okay. Okay.

Well, alright. So, how about this? We'll we'll we'll walk it back because we've been doing calling talents and then gifts. Alright. So, what could Tabitha's calling be?

There you go. Helping the poor. Can you see that? Is that evident in the text? Her calling is to help the poor.

What was her talent? Making clothes. Now, this is a little tricky. What was her gift? Yes.

Yes. Resurrection was her gift. That's pretty supernatural. So I don't know. I use this example from time to time because it would seem as though these two don't go together, but when you see it in this man, you're like, yes, of course it goes together.

For those of you who know Brad Wolf, he owns a used car dealership. Chrysler. And he didn't well, he almost died. He almost died from a snowmobile injury, but that's different. So listen to this.

So if you know Brad Wolf, great, kind man, like tremendous business acumen. He is he he's successful at selling cars. But years ago, when I was getting to know him, I was like, what do you feel like your calling is? And he so quickly answered. He's like, I love to help people.

I love

to help

people. Well, and then I was like, well, how do you help people but then you like have a job as a used car salesman? Owning a used car dealership. And he's and in his mind, he's like, well, it just makes perfect sense. I help people with vehicle needs.

And I try to find the right car for them at the right price, at the right time that they need it, and that's why he's so successful in business. Rad Wolf loves to help people. And he has a And he has a talent for business having a a business savvy and he loves cars, loves talking about cars, and selling cars, buying cars at auctions, and things like that and then god has just put this supernatural favor on his life for him to be very successful at what he does. So, what is Tabitha's calling? Helping people, helping the poor, Helping the poor.

That's for sure a calling for some people. Helping the poor. What was her talent? Making clothes. Now in this story, you can see, like, of course, those two go together.

They go together like peanut butter and celery. But if you think about it for if you stop and think about it for just a moment, imagine being Tabitha. I have this heart. I have this burden for helping poor people. In us, as we read the story, it just makes so much perfect sense that those two things go together but put yourself in Tabitha's shoes maybe as she's growing.

Maybe she's as she's she's mature. She's a young person growing up. Maybe she's a child growing into a young person that she has this burden, this calling to help people but she's like, well, what can I do? Well, she's sitting at the sewing machine. Making pants, making vests, making beanies, making socks.

Well, I have this burden for the poor but I just don't know what I can do. And patterns and snipping and sewing. I just don't know. Like, we read the story and we see, oh my gosh. It's a perfect natural fit but maybe there's somebody in the room under the sound of my voice that has some type of a stirring and a calling on their life.

They don't know what to do with it and then they turn right around and they're like, sowing and they're like and they just don't see the connection. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would be like, can you not see? Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

That the Holy Spirit would literally open up your eyeballs. Did you have something? Yeah.

I think something that I've seen throughout this series, I guess it's just like a flashing light to me, is that each of these people, in each of these circumstances, they knew their identity before they ever had their calling. And I think that's the most important thing. I think a lot of us don't know our identity first. So we're always looking for calling without realizing our identity. And I don't think it's until you realize your identity.

They each knew their identity. Gideon knew who he was. He had no question. He talked to God. That wasn't surprising to him that he was talking to God.

So he knew his identity with God. Each of them knew their identity with God, and they were used in that moment by God, and then given their calling. So the calling came after their identity, and I think that's the most important thing that I see

is we need to know our identity first. Lord, why have you put me on this earth? Start by diving into your identity.

Who does God see you as?

Who does God see me as? Because when you as you grow in your confidence and security of your identity, what God thinks of you, why he feels the way about you that he does. As you grow in your sense of identity, your calling becomes rises to the surface, and the calling actually will produce a holy frustration in you at first. You're call if you feel frustrated about a particular area of life or society or the church in general or maybe even this church, like if you're like, oftentimes, a calling will first emerge as a frustration. That was that was really good and for somebody.

Bethany, and we're we're gonna land the plane here really quickly. And then Phil.

I was just gonna say, yeah, I really agree with that statement about identity. But I read this awesome book that was talking about finding your purpose and stuff like that. And it talks about how we all want like this big calling and for God to reveal like his will on our lives and stuff. But then like, if we aren't acting in obedience to become who he wants us to be in the small, Okay, do I know what God wants me to do with my life in this like, you know, like for a job or whatever, maybe not. But like I know he wants me to be kind, I know he wants me to be generous, I know he wants me to be patient, I know he wants me to be humble.

Like there's all these things that we know for a fact, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are called to, and that like it isn't until we pursue those things that we know we are called to that he can reveal. And in that is who we are, right? Who we become, who we are striving to be, and who we belong to. Once we know that is when we can even be trusted with the stewardship of a calling.

Yes, and I am detecting a theme in your two comments that you've made that comes back to being faithful in the little. Wouldn't it be great if just one day the big neon sign flashed and it was like, you're going to be a New York Times bestselling author. Fill in the blank, you know, you're gonna do something grandiose. Put a pause on looking for that big grandiose thing and just be faithful with that little thing that's right in front of

you. And our

characters we saw did that. That is a beautiful observation. I I wrote this down for you and put it up on the screen. A talent is what you can do. And a gift is what God can do through you.

A talent is what you can do. You don't have the gift of discernment to spot problems and be critical. But coming up with creative, brilliant solutions, and implementing those things as Corey was talking about a moment ago, that is a gift. A talent is what you can do. A gift is what God can do through you.

Really quickly. So yesterday, what was the calendar date yesterday? June 6. What is what yes. Yesterday was d day, marking the invasion of allied forces into occupied Europe to liberate East Western And Eastern Europe from actual Nazi fascists ravaging Europe.

Oh, she hates Nazis. Good job. In the early morning hours. In the early morning hours of June 6, just after the break of dawn, paratroopers from the five zero first Screamin' Eagles regiment of the hundred and first airborne division paratrooped behind enemy lines into France. And there were two men that were on that paratrooper regiment.

Robert e Wright and then private Kenneth j Moore. They were respectively ages 19 and 20. Jumped out of an airplane, landed with their chutes behind enemy lines, and because of all of the anti aircraft air flag, the the planes had to speed up. The planes had to disengage the paratroopers at different places. When they hit the ground, they had no idea where the rest of their unit was.

No idea where they were, not anywhere near the landmarks that they had memorized for the scheduled drop zone. But their training and their talent relied in providing first aid. So they were medics in the army. They made their way to a small church that was unoccupied, and they found some paint in a barn and they painted a big red cross on the church and set up a medical aid station. For the next three days, as the story goes, not one of them got, either one of these men, got more than an hour of sleep as they treated combat injury after combat injury after combat injury, not just of American paratroopers coming through, but of any soldier that was wounded on the battlefield with the only requirement be that they don't bring any guns into the church, which is usually usually generally a good idea.

They treated German soldiers. They treated French resistance fighters. They treated many American soldiers. They even treated a civilian boy saving the lives of over 80 people, soldiers during that tight window. These two men working tirelessly using the talents and their training of being a medic that god put his super on them to make them the war heroes that they are today that we still remember their names and their stories eighty years after the event.

And today, you can go to this same little church in France. I didn't even write it in my notes because I can't pronounce it at all, and I would be embarrassed to try to, but you can look up this church. And in the church, they've turned it into a memorial for peace from the war. Stained glass windows that were shot out have been replaced. The pews where these medics treated the soldiers have remained in place and you can still see the bloodstains of soldiers wounds that were placed on the pews in the church for what they did and I share that story with you.

Number one, so that we always never forget the heroic efforts of men and women endued with the sense of freedom and liberty that was imparted to them from our country here in The United States that when you read their testimonies, their senior year after they graduated for those few years, they said that they were among every single senior that graduated, after they graduated high school, would go straight to the recruiter's office. Every single one of them would go to the Recruiting office, and they're like, I'll take whatever you can give me. National Guard, Air Force. Air Force wasn't around then. It was just about to be created.

Marines, army, whatever. I'll take it. To serve my country. And and in today's era of a lot of confusion, World War two was a pretty clear battle between ideologies and the advancement of freedom. But these two men use their talents that they learned.

God put his super on their natural and we're still talking about them today. The last thing that I'm gonna say is this, how can I identify my gifts and talents? I'm gonna rip through these because it's important for you to to consider these questions. And if it's too fast for you to write down, maybe just take a picture. How can I identify my gifts and talents?

Well, what comes natural to you that seems difficult for others? You have a knack for it. Some people naturally have a talent to organize chaos, teach clearly, fix things, lead, create, comfort, solve problems. They assume everyone can do it because it comes easy for them. Number two, is there a pattern of people coming to you for help in the same area?

Patterns matter. If people seek your consistently seek your wisdom and encouragement and leadership or hospitality or discernment or practical help, pay attention. So number one, what comes naturally to you that seems hard for others? Number two, is there a pattern of people coming to you for help in the same area? Number three, where do you see unusual fruit whenever you serve?

Whenever I step into something, where does God seem to move? Is it teaching, encouraging, hospitality, prayer, leadership, mercy, evangelism? You may not feel gifted in that area but when you walk in that area, you leave your fingerprints on it. And there's fruit. Remember John 15 verse eight, when you produce much fruit, you're my true disciples and it brings great glory to my father.

Using your gifts and talents brings glory to your father. He loves to see you operate in the way that he made you. Verse and then number four, last one. This is a fun question. Where do I lose track of time because I'm so engaged with a particular skill set or activity?

Remember Jesus with the woman at the well? He's like, he sat down. He's like, oh, I'm so hungry. You guys go into town, Get us a snack. The disciples come back some amount of time later, probably a while, after he's had this amazing, incredible divine encounter with the woman at the well, word of knowledge, word of prophecy.

We can assume that she got saved in that moment. He come the disciples come back with, you know, their taquitos and their snacks for Jesus. And he's like, all right, off we go. And they're like, wait, wait, like, you didn't even eat lunch and he's like, oh, I'm so full. I'm like, what?

How how are you full? And he's like, oh, I've got food that you know not of. Like, just time just like went by for him. What activity do you find yourself doing or skill or or or emotion or event that you could just the time just sails by. All of these can be clues to your gifts and talents.

Next week, we're going to talk about our ministry and our occupation and then we're going to land the plane on this series by talking about how all of those interact with one another. So with that in mind, let's just take a few moments, close our eyes, and let's invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us about all that we've said. Is there an area of your life or heart that the Holy Spirit would want to highlight as a talent that you have that maybe maybe maybe you're so good at it that you actually downplay it. Because it is so evident and you get a lot of attention for it and you're like, God's like, don't put that light under a bushel. Put it on a stand.

Is there a gift that God has given you? That maybe you have used either selfishly or some reason you have felt like you're unworthy. He's given you those things for a reason and a purpose. He delights to see you operate in your gifts and talents. And when you do it in the natural, it's like a dull tool But when surrendered to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it's a sharp tool.

Take just one more moment to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and for you to talk to him. Lord, I know that you are, excuse me, unpacking and doing work in people's hearts right now. I ask, Lord, that you would continue to do that work. So sorry. In Jesus name, amen.

Everybody go home. Sorry. Lord, I ask that you would continue to do work in our heart as we transition to one last way of worship you and that's bringing our tithes and offerings before you. Y'all know how to give. Lord, I ask that you would use these finances to make your name famous here at Tribe in Jackson Hole, the surrounding region, and to the uttermost bounds of the earth.

We pray these things in Jesus' name. Y'all said, for those of you who have any hearing left, amen. Men's Bible study goes one more week tomorrow, 6PM right here at the TMC. We'll feed you. We're looking at first and second Timothy.

If you haven't been, not a single week, it's alright. Just jump in. Save the best week for last week which is tomorrow. So, jump in and do that. There's also other opportunities for you to get involved that you can sign up in.

Oh my gosh. Just everybody, it's just the that's the refrigerator, right? Stand up. Let me pray for you. After I dismiss you so that I don't keep you interminably.

Please stand up. Let me pray for you. Lord Jesus, I command a blessing on each and every person here this morning, Big and little, squeaky and sleepy, every single person, Lord. Thank you for all the graduates that we have here at Tribe. Lord, launch them into the next next chapter of their life.

I command a blessing over each and every person here this morning. Lord, we tell you that we love you. We pray these things in Jesus name, the strong son of god and everybody said, amen. I love you so very much. Have a great week and remember, you got this, Sarah.