Acts 18:26  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately. (NLT)

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Talent is good. Talent on fire is better. Talent on fire with intellectual accuracy is best. 

This Saturday, college football broadcasts will showcase the best teams and their top athletes. Outstanding talent will be on display for all to see, admire, and critique. 

Some talented players will attempt to do more than they can in challenging situations. This will lead to unforced errors that will cost them the game. 

Some equally talented players will remain calm when others are losing their composure and will accept short-term losses in exchange for greater long-term gains. They will display patience while their peers attempt to overpower others. 

Often, unexpected wins come to less talented teams when they play to the peak of their intellectual abilities. 

Priscilla and Aquila were impressed with Apollos. (See more about him in verses 24-28.) He was “an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well,” (verse 24). Verse 25 says, “he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy.” 

However, there was a sizable gap in his understanding, and this is where Priscilla and her husband Aquila stepped in. Verse 26 says, “they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.”

There are simple and powerful applications from this story for you and me. 

1. Play to your strengths. 
2. Maximize your areas of giftedness. 
3. Use all the brains you’ve got and all you can borrow. 

Lean on mentors. Learn from gifted teachers. Ponder a coach’s questions for greater insight and understanding. Befriend those who are farther along on the same path. 

Another question: Are you Priscilla, Aquila, or Apollos? At different times and seasons in our lives, we are each. Sometimes, we are Priscilla, a woman with spiritual and intellectual heft who may not get the respect she deserves.

Sometimes, we are Aquila, amiable, effective, and overshadowed by someone who burns more brightly, and best of all, doesn’t mind standing in that particular shadow.

Sometimes, we are Apollos, full of fire and faith, but with a gap or two requiring topping off. 

Which one are you today? 

Which one do you want to be a year from now?

What is your path to that place, and who can help you get there?

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I will lean toward the next season of my life by giving it all I’ve got and gaining all I need.

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Our Father, you know my gaps. Please, fill them. Surround me with smarter, better, faster men and women who will patiently lead me toward the path you have laid out before me. Thank you for your patience, instruction, and equipping for all that is before me. Amen.