What Is In Your Hand?

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might....

There was a young boy who was the son of a drifter. This boy worked as a store clerk for a while, but the store failed. He bought a partnership in another store, but it failed also. He ran for legislature and lost both times. He ran for vice-president and lost. He became the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

There was another boy who was called a "slow learner." A teacher recommended he be withdrawn from school because of his seeming inability.

He tried to go to school in Switzerland, but failed the entrance exam. He was fired from three teaching jobs. At age 26 he won the Nobel Prize. He was Albert Einstein.

Here were men who suffered serious setbacks in life, road blocks if you will, but they perserved to do a great work in their fields. How much more important is it for a child of God to use the ability God has given them? How important is it for a Christian to be faithful as a good steward of that which God has entrusted to them.

Yet many times the very things God has given us to use for His glory, get laid aside, get hidden away because the devil sidetracks the people of God. The devil knows he can’t take away that which God has given you. Your time, talents, and treasures are yours from God. But while the devil can’t take these things, he does desire to keep you from using them for the cause of Christ. If the devil can keep us from doing that which God has commanded us to do, through fear, discouragement, self-pity, or any other thing he has been successful,

What has God given you to do? What is in your hand?

I. What I Have is Insignificant To God

Preacher, you don’t understand. If God had blessed me with some great talent, I would surely use it for him. But what I have to offer is so insignificant it doesn,t matter any way.

Let me tell you about a man who took something insignificant in his hand, and God made it miraclous.

There was a man of God named Samson. God had set him apart and made him a judge over Israel. Samson had super-human strength which was given to him by God and God had given him many victorys. Yet in Judges 15 Samson finds himself in real trouble. He has been bound and is going to be delivered into the hands of his enemies, the Philstines. As he was being delivered into their hands, God’s Spirit moved, and the ropes which bound him broke.

Yet he was still surrounded by a great host of trained and armed fighting men.

If you and I had been there we would have said " Samson, give up. You don’t have a sword or a shield.’ But the Bible says Sampson grabbed a near by object and used to kill 1,000 fighting men. What did he grab? Was it a sword or a spear? No, it was the jawbone of an ass.

You might say what could Samson possibly do with a jawbone. Samson couldn’t do anything with it, but it was all he had in his hand and he trusted God with it. And God took that insignificant object and wrought a great victory. Judges 15:15 " And found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it and slew a thousand men there with." What brought that victory? Was it the jawbone? No it was the man who held the jawbone who was willing to let God use what was in his hand. No matter how insignificant it seemed.

The devil is telling you that the thing which God has in your hand, some thing He has given you, time, talent, or treasure is insignificant. And it is insignificant if you try to use it in your own strength or hide it away. But take that which seems to be insignificant. that which in the light of others seems to be nothing but a jawbone, and give it to God. And God will take that which He has placed in your hand to bring a great spiritual victory.

How sad to hold back our mouth from witnessing to others because we feel inadequate. Give it to God. How sad not to read our Bible because our understanding seems limited compared to others. Give it to God. How sad to not spend time in prayer because we feel we don’t know how. Give it God. What’s in your hand? Give it God, and you will see miracles in your life.

II. What I Have Is Not Enough

Preacher, God has placed some things in my hand I could use, but there doesn’t seem to be enough for me and God both. I mean I could be faithful to church but that cuts into my time and there isn’t enough of that. I could teach that class but I don’t have enough energy. I mean there needs to be something left for me.