He wrote Letters

04.11.13

2 Corinthians 10.6 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

Apparently Paul’s gift was not eloquence – Apollos had that. Apparently Paul’s “stage presence” was commanding – Peter had that. I’m not sure if there is ever an instance where Pricilla and Aquila are mentioned in Scripture where they did public speaking – that wasn’t their gift. Paul’s life – outwardly – looked as if he stumbled from one trial to another mishap (see 2 Corinthians 10:22ff). Paul’s outward-ness appeared messy, but he knew of what he spoke; and so much so that he planted more churches and reached more people than anyone else in the early days of the Church.

Paul’s teachings were lofty and sometimes distorted by people who made fun of his presence and lack of public speaking skills. But one thing Paul did: the boy could write: he wrote letters. He wrote in such a way as to make up for what he lacked in stage presence and verbal skills. He wrote in such a way as to take the majestic themes of God and make them understandable to dummies like me. His letters are the most widely read documents to this day. So, who cares that he looked (and maybe sounded) like George W. Bush when he spoke publicly? What he said and what he had in his heart came out in what he wrote. And what he wrote he knew.

Right now I have a friend who is going through what may be the toughest time in her life – and the girl can write. She has a way with the written word that captures the essence of her pain and helps her funnel it in such a way that many people are helped and blessed by her insights. I have another friend who knows how to get kids to have a wild and crazy time together and then just when they’re worn out from fun can eloquently communicate the gospel in ten minutes of sharing what captures the essence of what he knows about Jesus.

God will use anyone, anywhere, anyhow. God isn’t limited by what we don’t have; He capitalizes on what we do have: a willing heart. The New Testament is the Seminal Document of all human history and much of it was written by a guy we’ve never seen who was much maligned because he fumbled around verbally. What’s your gift? What are you good at in communicating what you know?

Father, Help us to share what we know and to remember there’re people out there who need to know what we know. Help us to find our gift and to share it faithfully – not necessarily skillfully; skill is icing on the cake. Put us all in places today where our gift shines and where we can make the most influence for who You are and for what You’ve offered. Thank You for the gifted people I know and for what You’ve brought them through to get to where they are with what they know! You’re so good at that!