Worship Training #3: Maximize Your Gift

If we are on or helping lead a worship team, in part it’s because we have some musical ability and skill. But, while we already have some level of competency, it’s important to always seek to maximize our ability for the glory of God.

Luke 12:48 … When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

As a worship team member, it is important to  always be growing in our gifts both spiritually and musically. There will be times when we are tempted to grow stagnant and plateau as a musician. If we have musical ability, that is a gift God has given to us and we should seek to use it well so He can receive the glory. The good news is that we are only responsible for the potential that we have! We do not need to compare that to anyone else and can do the best we can with what we have been give to honor God with it.

Here are a few practical ways we can maximize the gifts we have been given:

Our Gifts Are From God

First and foremost we need to understand that God has gifted each of us with our abilities. He is the giver of everything and nothing comes from ourselves. We are caretakers and managers of all His creation, and this includes our musical talents.

1 Peter 4:10-11 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.…Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen

Each person on a worship team has been given a unique gift, and we have the opportunity to  use our gifts to benefit those on our teams, as well as those in the congregation. God is very clear that He wants us to be selfless in how we use our gifts. In other words, we were blessed with our gifts in order to be a blessing.  We have been gifted by God for his glory, and He wants us to use these gifts to glorify Him. If we recognize our talent is from God and use it to benefit others, we are using our gifts well.

God’s Gifts Need To Be Strengthened

Though God gave us this talent, we should always look for ways to improve it. In Matthew 25, Jesus told a story about three servants who were given different amounts money by their master to keep while he was gone. The first servant was given five bags of silver and he doubled it to ten through investments and hard work. The second servant was given two bags of silver, and doubled it to four bags through work. The last servant was given one bag of silver, and he went and buried it in the ground, for fear that he would lose the money. When the master returned he was very pleased with the two servants who had worked hard to get more, but with the other servant, he was very disappointed. The last servant had put no effort into growing the amount he was given. In this parable, God is the Master, and we are the servants.

God wants us to put effort into the talents he has given us. Three ways we can strengthen our talents are by committing to regular practice, setting achievable goals, and helping others learn. We should be realistic about how much time we can put into practicing, use healthy goals like the ones above to improve. While this might seem obvious, this can bring out the most practical growth in our talents. How much practice we need will depend on our individual experience and skill level, but everyone needs to practice. As we continue to strengthen our gifts and make this a habit, it will lead to excellence not only in this area of our lives but in other areas as well.

God’s Gifts Should Be Enjoyed

Not only does God want us to recognize our gift is from Him and use it to bless others and build his kingdom and to continue to strengthen it, but He also wants us to enjoy the gifts He has given us. In the book of ecclesiastes, King Solomon, the wisest man to ever have lived believed this.

Ecclesiastes 5:18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

The level to which we enjoy not only our gifts but our life in general reflects how we view God. Do we see him as a good God who has good things in store for us or as a harsh task master who demands everything of us and gives nothing in return? The answer to the question actually determines everything in your life and how you live on a daily basis.

This is similar to the parable of the talents. The servant with one talent saw his master as a hard man who was unforgiving and merciless. . In the end, he was rebuked and commanded to leave the master’s presence because his inaction in life reflected an inaccurate understanding of his master.’s character. If he had seen that the master had actually given him something good to invest in and benefit from not only in his own life but also in the lives of those around him (blessed to be a blessing), then he would have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to use his talent (gift) to the greatest extent possible.

When we enjoy what God has given us, realizing it all comes from Him, it gives him great joy because we are living out the plan He has for our lives in the way he created us to live. What a great fit it is when we are doing what God created us to do!

Maintain An Attitude Of Humility

As we enjoy our gifts and grow in our talents, we should remember we will constantly need to be on guard against pride. As we grow as a leader, it could be easy to think we’ve got it all figured out and don’t need any correction. This is a very dangerous attitude and can lead to serious problems if not taken care of quickly.

Luke 18:14 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

A big part of displaying humility is receiving constructive criticism. We should never think that we’re above correction or criticism. Now, this may be one of the hardest things for us to do. Often when someone gives us instruction we can feel defensive and want to turn the correction back onto them, but we should always be open to ways we can improve. One way we can welcome constructive criticism is to have an open line of communication on our teams between all team members as well as other church leaders. This displays humility and a willingness to learn. We will be doing ourselves and those around us a huge favor by taking this approach.

As we seek to maximize our gifts in this life, we are not only embarking on the adventure of being who God created us to be and doing what God has created us to do; we are also helping build God’s kingdom in the way that He wants to build it. As we use our gifts, we are building up the body of Christ in an amazing way and having an eternal impact on the world around us. This is a huge privilege and responsibility! Let’s be like the faithful servants in Matthew 25, constantly cultivating the talents entrusted to us, all for God’s glory.