Denver Seminary

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (I Peter 4:10)

My daughter’s bed, an antique store buy, kept falling apart, and a friend offered to help fix it. I loaded the bed, drove to Bill’s house, and pulled around back to his garage. As the door went up, there, spread in front of me in seeming disarray, were Bill’s tools. You could tell they were loved and well used. It didn’t take Bill long to diagnose the problem, figure out a solution, rummage around to find the right tools, and successfully finish the job.

This experience led me to reflect on another friend. Like Bill, he had invested a lot of money in tools. Unlike Bill, this friend had them all organized in drawers, on shelves, and hanging in neat rows on pegboard. Bill’s tools were grimy, spread around on tables, in boxes, and on the floor. But Bill’s tools were used and had been part of many helpful projects. The other guy’s tools were clean, neat, and probably seldom used for the purpose for which they had been made. This guy was a tool collector.

God, through the Holy Spirit, has given each of us spiritual gifts. These are tools to be used in ministry for others, for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom. Do you minister in your local fellowship, using your tools for the benefit of others? Or are you a tool collector, merely hanging your gifts on pegs or keeping them tucked away in drawers?