Thursday: Using Your Talents
Read Matthew 25:13-30. What role does using our gifts have in preparing us for the return of Christ?
Though Jesus told a different parable here than the one just before, both talk about being ready for the return of Christ.
Image © Deb Minnard Goodsalt.com
Both deal with those who were ready and those who weren’t. And both show the fate of those who, through their own spiritual neglect, faced eternal loss.
Just as the oil represents the Holy Spirit for the ten virgins, so the “bag” or “bags of gold” (Matt. 25:15, NIV) represent talents, which is the Greek word (talanta) in the original language. “The talents represent special gifts of the Spirit, together with all natural endowments.” — The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 510.
All the servants in the parable had received goods from their master. Notice, too, that they were the master’s goods (Matt. 25:14),which were entrusted to them “each according to his own ability” (Matt. 25:15, NKJV). The gifts given to them were given in trust; in a real sense, these servants were stewards of what they didn’t own but were responsible for. That’s why, when the master came back, he “settled accounts with them” (Matt. 25:19, NKJV).
Spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 12:1-11, 1 Cor. 12:28-31; Eph. 4:11). There is good news for those who think they have the least gift. Gifts are never received without the Giver. So, these people receive their gift by receiving the greatest gift — the Holy Spirit.
The gifts are already ours in Christ, but our actual possession depends upon our reception of the Holy Spirit and surrender to Him. Here is where the unprofitable servant made his mistake. He had been given a gift but did nothing with it. He left his gift unimproved. He didn’t make an effort to take what he had been graciously given and do something with it. As a result Jesus called him “wicked and lazy” (Matt. 25:26, NKJV) — a powerful condemnation.
| Jesus told this parable in the context of the last days and His return. What does it teach us, then, about how the use of our talents is crucial to being prepared for the last days? |
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The lazy man never took the gift as his own to use and increase on it. Jesus is the good master, who does not leave His stewards alone. He is the one who helps us to grow.
Yes, Yvette, Jesus doesn't leave us alone. His Spirit is always available to teach us in the way we should invest what we are responsible for to perform a better work by the motivation of the Holy Spirit of God's Love.
We are, then, working in the Mind of the Master. This is the only way we can bring increase to that with which we are entrusted. If we "use" the gifts without the motivation of Mind of the Master working in us, it would be better if we never had been entrusted.
Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy the Holy Spirit so he could use this great power, but he soon learned that if he could buy the Holy Spirit and try to use it, he would have been cursed with a great curse.
We need the work of the Holy Spirit to make us like Jesus in character before we "use" the power to perform miracles. We need the Mind that was also in Christ Jesus to give us proper direction in the working of the "gifts" of the Spirit. The Mind of God working in a human being is the greatest Miracle known to man any way. We are not to use the Spirit. He is to use us. His gifts are just to make us more usable in His work through us. Jesus is our example.
I'm not quick to think of the man as lazy. Many people don't use their gift because they don't think it's good enough. Sometimes people look at others as being better than them. They don't feel their gift/talent measures up to the other ones, so they don't use it. Maybe this is why the "one" talent was hidden. The message of the story may be use what you're given no matter how insignificant you think it may be. God is faithful to bless it.
When we hide our talents because we look at other's thinking that ours are lower, we make a huge mistake! God gives to anyone who asks! And He gives abundantly! But He certainly give different talents - why would all have the same ones? How much do I want to use my talents to the need of others? The talents that God gives us are a blessing to others and to ourselves! Nevertheless, it is necessary to recognize that all knowledge and natural ability are gifts from Heaven! God is the true Fountain of talents! We are nothing but instruments used for His own praise! Not because of selfishness, because He has so much and want to share them all! Upon us lies the decision to be or not an instrument on His hands! Everything that is good, and noble, and loving comes from the True Giver. Good comes from God!
Our talent is the tool that the Lord wants us to use to reach out to others. Bless be the name of the Lord for his wonderful grace and mercy toward us.
Esther Moran
I have two thoughts:
Some see a difference from natural in born talents and spiritual gifts. I believe that both are gifts from God and maybe the timing of the gift/talent is different - see Jesus said they were given talents 'according to their ability' which seems to point to natural ability before the talents were issued.
Mat 25:15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his ability. And he went abroad at once.
My second thought is in respect of the purpose of spiritual gifts - they are to be used to benefit others not oneself. Which is an important point when trying to understand the gift of languages. Think about our mission in Rev 14:6
Rev 14:6 Then I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people,
Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The man with the one talent probably felt that he did not have enough to contribute. Compared to others what could he accomplish, he is not a great speaker, he is not a great leader, and he is not the most recognized person in the crowd.
I think of our audio/visual person who faithfully sets up everything and gets it ready every Sabbath morning.
Take the time to recognize and say thank you.
Everyone including you is precious in the sight of God.
Using Your Talents;
Jesus is telling us that should be productive with His things. Whatever God has entrusted into our care or keeping, God expects us to use it and to be productive with it. Not to bury, or to hide, not to try to just to preserve, but the Lord wants us to increase that which He has entrusted into our keeping.
Now it is interesting to me that the amount that he gave to each one was according to that person's abilities. But the person who had the two was rewarded just as that one who had the five, in that in their doubling of what was given to them, they were each commanded of the Lord as good and faithful servants, and were given their place into the kingdom.
If God has placed things in my keeping then I am responsible to be using those things to increase the kingdom of God. And if I am faithful now in those things that God has entrusted to me, then according to that faithfulness, will be my position in the coming kingdom. In one of the gospels it says He said to him, "be thou ruler over ten cities, enter into the joy of thy lord"(Luke 10:17).
Now God has entrusted to each one of His servants something. And to each one that was entrusted by God with whatever it was, it was his responsibility to use it, to bring an increase unto the Lord. It should cause each of us to seriously examine our own lives, and seek first of all to understand what is it that God has entrusted to me of His kingdom, of His kingdom's goods. And then what am I doing with what God has entrusted to me? Am I a faithful servant, or am I slothful in spiritual things, in the things of the kingdom? Do I have a very slothful attitude, just seeking to hang onto the status quo, rather than really seeking to use those things of God to their best advantage?
I appreciate the comments about talents. An additional point or two.
The four parables in Matthew 25 are a set that tell us some truths about how we view our God and how He views us. God gifts is allow us to share his love and desire for mankind’s good with all we meet. In the parable of sheep and goats the people who did things to help others never realized they were doing these things to God and those who didn’t do them would have if they known it was God. The point is that if you are focused on you and what you are doing you have not been transformed. Those faithful stewards saw only opportunities to share and realized God wants a willing worker. They recognized everything they had was God’s and the tremendous gift of salvation was totally a gift. Their actions sprang from a heart overflowing with love and self was no longer preeminent in their lives. The unfaithful did not understand God’s character. He viewed god as exacting and severe. If that is the view you have then you don’t want to displease him because he can hurt you and punish you. It would be impossible to share that view about God as a blessing to others. If you view salvation as a transaction between you and God where you must do enough to be saved then you can never develop to the stage of Christian maturity when you are blessing others because it is what you want do. The relationship with God has developed to a place where self is not the center and when that occurs you do these things spontaneously as a result of the deep love and gratefulness you have toward God.
The secret of the lost is in verse Matthew 25:24 Lord “I knew thee” that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sewn, and gathering where thou has not strayed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
When has God ever been a hard man? And he sows constantly for the Benifit of each of us ,the talents that he gave to the three servants was sowing. This is a false concept of God completely!
The phrase “and I was afraid and went and hid” reminds us of Genesis 3:10 and he said I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. They were afraid because of their nakedness and ashamed . Genesis 2:25 and this is before disobedience they were naked and not ashamed . Sin causes shame. In the end time Revalation 6:16 says and they said to the mountains into the rocks fall on us and hottest from the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb . Here it is again fear and shame.
The servant with one talent really didn’t “know” the master. God is faithful even when we are not. The reference to wicked and slothful are the unsaved who wish to be unsaved. Who stay hidden and afraid. The master is repeating the words of the servant the Lord answered and said into him thou wicked and slothful servant thou knew that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I have not strawed.
But I like the ending verse 29 for to everyone that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance but from him that have not Shall be taken away even that what he has.
It’s another choice use it or loose it.
The parable of the talents is also in Luke 19:11-27 but it is very different than the one in Matthew. In Matthew there are three servants one gets 5 talents another one gets 2 and another gets one and only the one with one does nothing with it and gets cast out of God's Kingdom. in the parable in Luke there are 10 servants and they all get the same amount and none of them get cast out but the King destroys only the ones that tried to get him dethroned. Why do we only tell about the parable in Matthew but not the one in Luke?