Dare 2 Share - Forty years ago this week the world lost two men who changed the world around them. One man you have heard of, the other one you might have not. Interestingly enough, the more famous one left an amazing legacy, but I predict that his well known status will diminish within a few decades. The not so famous one left a small legacy that in forty years has grown to an unbelievable level, and it certainly shows no sign of slowing.
Have you guessed who I’m talking about yet?
Forty years ago this week our nation lost President John F. Kennedy, and the world lost author/speaker C.S. Lewis. You probably didn’t know that, because the media wouldn’t see the anniversary of Lewis' death as the stuff of headlines…yet I would beg to differ.
His books sell more than 3 million copies a year and the most famous ones: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia, have been reprinted dozens and dozens of times. Even as you are reading this; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is being made into a major motion picture.
You know the funny thing about it is that C.S. Lewis never wanted to be famous. Even though he was a well-known writer and speaker, he continued an incredibly simple lifestyle. Michael Nelson has written in the International Herald Tribune: "Two-thirds of his book royalties were earmarked for charities. He never traveled abroad, even when fame brought invitations to lecture from around the world."
C.S. Lewis was converted as an adult, at which point he decided to use his gifts and talents in the service of Christ. Because of that decision and his life of obedience, God has used this humble Irishman to touch the lives of millions upon millions of people- including the person writing to you at this moment.
Not too many days go by when I am not thinking of Lewis’ description of Christ using Aslan the Lion. My view of spiritual warfare was radically changed by The Screwtape Letters, and I still believe that the “Lord, Liar, Lunatic” argument for the deity of Christ is one of the strongest aones around.
Of course at one point in his life, C.S. Lewis was in the same place you are today, asking the same question: should I use my gifts and talents to serve God, or myself? I know for a fact that Lewis could have made a boat load of cash and worldwide fame, and lived life like a king. Instead he gave away his money, didn’t worry about fame, and lived life for the King.
Maybe you’re thinking you don’t have any gifts or talents? God has a different view:
God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well… (Romans 12:6)
Notice He doesn’t say that God has given ‘some’ of us of- rather ‘each of us’…which means that you have something to offer this world in the service of God. In fact, we are commanded to do so. In Romans 12, Paul is basically explaining that it is the very purpose of life to pour out our lives to God:
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.(Romans 12:1-8)
Does this mean that God won’t love me if I don’t? Absolutely not. Yet you will miss out on the best plan possible for your trips around the sun. That’s what happened with C.S. Lewis…but don’t take my word for it- let’s hear it from the person who has been there and done that:
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."- C.S. Lewis
Questions:
1) What gifts and talents has God given you?
2) Are you using your gifts and talents in the service of the King? Why or why not?
3) Are you willing to start praying this week about getting more involved in sharing your faith and serving your church? Why or why not?
