Truth #219 - We are to use whatever gifts we are given by God for God - 1 Chronicles 1-4

1 Chronicles 1:10
Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

Truth:  We are to use our physical gifts for God.

In this section of 1 Chronicles we have a "chronological" outline of the famous and not-so-famous people in the earliest time of the earth.  Although, in most cases, the names simply appear in a list (think 'phone book' style), there are some names that have a brief commentary attached to them.  In the above verse, Nimrod is said to be the son of Cush and he is said to be not just a "mighty man," but the first of the mighty men on the earth.   The Hebrew term for "mighty" is commonly used as a "warrior."  The word implies that Nimrod is a man who inflicted his power and his might in a waring kind of way.  In Genesis we have a further description of Nimrod.  There he is also referred to as a "mighty man" but there is more added to the commentary:

Genesis 10:9
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

Nimrod was a mighty man "before the Lord."   The implication is that the Nimrod was a man who was of great strength and power.  You don't get to be called a "mighty" man unless you have the physical nature and makeup of a strong man.   Nimrod, unlike many physically strong and powerful men today, used his strength, honor and duty for God.    In fact, the reference in Genesis 10:9 is a quote that was said of others, who also had gifts of strength and power, similar to Nimrod.  You might be compared to Nimrod.   Nimrod becomes what might be referred to as the "cognitive anchor" for mighty man ... he is the "benchmark" for others.   In the 1 Chronicles passage we see that he was the "first" of mighty men.  In the Genesis passage we see that he used that reputation for God's glory.   We can't know everything about Nimrod's reputation from these two verses.   But, we can know that he was gifted and used the gift for God.   We might not be a mighty man like Nimrod, but we can use the gifts we have been given by God for God's glory ... or, "before the Lord."   We all have been given gifts by God, each as determined by God.   And, we are to use them for God's glory.   He gives us gifts so that we can use the gifts to set a bench-mark for others to follow.