Talent Quest.

Wile E Coyote furiously chases Roadrunner. The bird suddenly stops. The coyote tries but he can’t, and he skids past the roadrunner out to the edge of the cliff. The ground gives way and for just a moment we see his saucer eyes. Then down Wile E. Plummets. Poof!

You and I don’t recover so easily. Like Wile E. We fall. But unlike Wile E., we wander in the canyon for a while. Stunned, hurt......and wondering if this ravine has a way out.

Max Lucado up to here.

One thing about Wile E Coyote is that he has no talent for what he is doing - he just keeps beating his head against a wall - or canyon floor because he hasn’t quite worked out that this is not what he is good at.

He firmly believes he has a talent for catching road runners - but I am afraid that that is not it -

Basically he sucks at it!!!!

Unlike Wiley E Coyote the Christian is not on a mission of destruction but on a rescue mission.

That aside, the thing about Wile E. Coyote is he just keeps on trying - He never gives up!

In Matthews gospel we read about the Parable of the talents.

Coyote’s are seemingly meant to chase and catch roadrunners - and the thing about Wile E coyote in his 50 odd years of life as a cartoon character is he has never given up.

Basically he had little talent but the truth is - what he had he used for what coyote’s seemingly are called to do - that is catch roadrunners.

Christians - That is people who are followers of Jesus Christ - have a call on their lives as well.

God has expectations of us but the parable of the Talents tells us his expectation never exceeds his investment in us.

Not all of us are greatly talented. Those of you who have heard me try to sing will agree that I am not a great singer.

God invests different levels of talent in us -

I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on this subject and I thought he said it wonderfully:-

EVERY good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." All that men have they must trace to the Great Fountain, the giver of all good. Hast thou talents? They were given thee by the God of talents. Hast thou time? hast thou wealth, influence, power? Hast thou powers of tongue? Hast thou powers of thought? Art thou poet, statesman, or philosopher? Whatever be thy position, and whatever be thy gifts, remember that they are not thine, but they are lent thee from on high. No man hath anything of his own, except his sins. We are but tenants at will. God hath put us into his estates, and he hath said, "Occupy till I come." Though our vineyards bear never so much fruit, yet the vineyard belongs to the King, and though we are to take the hundred for our hire, yet King Solomon must have his thousand. All the honor of our ability and the use of it must be unto God, because he is the Giver. The parable tells us this very pointedly; for it makes every person acknowledge that his talents come from the Lord. Even the man who digged in the earth and hid his Lords money, did not deny that his talent belonged to his Master; for though his reply, "Lo, there thou hast that is shine," was exceedingly impertinent, yet it was not a denial of this fact. So that even this man was ahead of those who deny their obligations to God, who superciliously toss their heads at the very mention of obedience to their Creator, and spend their time and their powers rather in rebellion against him than in his service. Oh, that we were all wise to believe and to act upon this most evident of all truths, that everything we have, we have received from the Most High.

JAS 1:16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

There is no doubt that God has invested in us both good and perfect gifts.

The other night Heather and I heard a man sing - he was a former singer in the great musical Les mis - His voice was unbelievably beautiful - he had great talent.

Then we heard a man - Dick Hubbard and this man had a talent for making money.