Craig T. Owens

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And the Lord said to [Moses], “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.” … And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on donkeys, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. (Exodus 4:2, 20 AMPC) 

What Moses originally called merely “a rod” he later called “the rod of God.” He recognized that what he thought was his was in actuality what God had given him to use. 

When we recognize that what’s in our hands isn’t our creation, but a God-given talent, it marks a defining moment in both our maturity and our humility. Or to borrow a phrase I elaborate on in my book Shepherd Leadership, this helps us view our God-given talents or positions with confident humility (or, if you like, humble confidence). 

With this shift in Moses’ understanding and language in mind, this is how we should treat every strength God has given us:

• It’s not mine, but God’s 

• I am only a steward of this talent 

• I must use this God-given strength only for God’s glory 

• I will have to give an account to God for how I invested or squandered what He entrusted to me

When we realize that we are not self-made men or women, but that any talents, abilities, or opportunities we have are God-appointed, we show a marked maturity in our understanding of our stewardship of God’s gifts. As our maturity grows, our confidence and our humility will grow proportionately. And as we become more confidently humbled in the way we steward God’s gifts, our leadership cannot help but exhibit more of God’s blessing on it. 

All of this growth starts with just the simple recognition that what’s in my hands is there only because God placed it there. 

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