What Are You Doing with Your Talents?

Matthew 25:14-30

This section of Matthew’s Gospel contains the Parable of the Talents. In ancient days, a ‘talent’ was a weight or coin used as money.

However, I would like to suggest that these talents in this text are of greater value than money; these are the ‘talents’ God has given us. These gifts may be physical or spiritual; each person has their own set of ‘talents.’

Matthew 24:14-18 reveals that all Christians are not blessed equally. Spiritually, we are all equal in Christ, but physically and materially, we receive different talents.

“Some are born kings, some into slavery; some born male, others female; some born wealthy, some poor; some born alive, some stillborn; some born normal physically, some born deformed; some born mentally handicapped; some born with ambition, some born indifferent; some born with five talents, some born with one talent.”[1]

Though we are all spiritually equal, we do not have the same opportunities and responsibilities. It may be similar to our spiritual gifts; some have four or five gifts; others just one or two. Matthew 25:15 says these talents

Are given according to his ability.

Regardless of the number of talents, we must use those talents to the best of our ability. We must be faithful to our gifts to develop the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God seeks those who are faithful. No matter the number of talents you receive, the question is, “are you faithful?” You must remain faithful to whatever talents given. When you do so, you will

enter into the joy of the master. (Matthew 25:23)

Those not found doing so and not having produced anything

will be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)

In conclusion, examine yourself to see whether you are ‘in the faith.’ Examine if you are a faithful servant doing the work of God for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Look beyond personal interests, personal gain, and selfish thinking instead of believing and loving Christ. By doing so, you will desire to glorify and honor God. Allow the word of God to increase your talents through the Holy Spirit by loving your neighbor and making disciples of all nations.

The servant who received one talent did nothing with what he received. The gifts we receive from God include skills, abilities, family connections, social positions, education, experiences, and more. The parable’s point is to use whatever given for God’s purposes. The severe consequences to the unproductive servant show us that we should invest our lives, not waste them.

There are five lessons the Parable of the Talents can teach us about work, success, and wealth:

1. First, success is a product of our work. 
   In the book of Genesis, we see that God placed Adam in the garden to work it and take care of it. As Christians, we work God’s mission in the here and now.

Far too many evangelical Christians today see their salvation as simply a “bus ticket to heaven.” They believe it doesn’t matter what they do while they “wait for the bus.” The Parable of the Talents teaches us what we are supposed to do while we await the return of Christ.

We are to work, using our talents to glorify God, serve the common good, and further God’s kingdom. Biblical success is working diligently in the here and now, using all the talents God has given us to produce the return the God expects.

2. God always gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do.
We feel sorry for the servant who received only one talent, but in reality, he received as much as a million dollars from the master and buried it in his backyard. He had more than enough to meet the master’s expectations.

Just as the master expected his servants to do more than passively preserve that which was entrusted to them, God expects us to generate a return by using our talents towards productive ends. The servants had enough to produce more – it is the same with God’s gifts. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We seldom associate this verse with our work, but we should.

3. We are not all created equal.
The most overlooked part of this parable is the second half of Matthew 25:15:

the master gives to each servant talents, “…each according to his ability.”

The master understood that the one-talent servant could not produce as much as the five-talent servant.

We want to protest this as unfair. Yet we know this is true from our own experience.

But even though we’re not created equal about the talents given, there is equality found in the Parable of the Talents. It comes from the fact that it takes just as much work for the five-talent servant to produce five more talents as it does for the two-talent servant to make two more. This is why the reward given by the master is the same. The master measures success by degrees of effort, as should we.

4. We work for the Master, not our selfish purposes.
The money given to the servants is not their own. The money they earn with the capital is not theirs to keep. The servants are only stewards of the master’s investment, and it is the quality of their stewardship that the master seeks to measure.

We should maximize the use of our talents not for our selfish purposes but to honor God. We should feel satisfaction and joy from doing our best with what God has given us, seeking to honor him.

5. We will be held accountable.
The Parable of the Talents is not about salvation or works of righteousness but about how we use our work to fulfill our earthly callings. It is about whole-life stewardship.

The unfaithful steward in this parable didn’t so much waste the master’s money – he wasted an opportunity. As a result, he was judged wicked and lazy. We are responsible for what we do for God with what we are given, and one day we will be held accountable.

But wherever we are in life, and whatever we are given, we have no excuse to be unprofitable. We are called to be responsible for our large or small opportunities.

If we are faithful to the Lord and live as faithful servants of His, we will hear these words:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.”

Let us pray:

Dear God, we thank You for the gifts You‘ve given each of us. We pray that we will be faithful in using these gifts to show others how wonderful You are. Thank you for the gifts you have given to us and for the part you have given us to play as you orchestrate your plan for the world in which I live. Help me to play my part diligently, faithfully, and to the best of my ability always for your glory and the benefit of others. Grant that we will so live today that when we stand before you face to face, we will hear your welcoming words,

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Amen.

 

Delivered at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH; 19 November 2023

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[1]      Extracted with variations from Jeremy Myers, Redeeming God

God Gave You Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey. “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 

The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

“The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

“Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’ “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant!  (Matthew 25:14-28)

Now, this scripture sounds like it is about money, but I would like to suggest that these coins (called ‘talents’ in ancient times) in this text are of greater value than money; these are the ‘talents’ God has given us. Each and everyone of us has their own set of ‘talents.’

Matthew 25:15 says

He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability..

Regardless of the number of talents, we must use those talents to the best of our ability. We must be faithful to our gifts to grow them as we are able.

We each should assess our lives to determine if we are increasing our talents or not.

1. Consider the gifts with which God has blessed us.
   Take some time this week and reflect on all the good gifts given us. Think about our family, finances, friends, possessions, opportunities, church, family, and more. Give glory to God and thank Him for His grace shown to us.

2. Consider our faithfulness.
   Ask ourselves how we have managed what God has given us. Are we generous and sacrificial; are we good managers of God’s resources? Are we wise or foolish? Are we investing in the kingdom of God or our kingdom?

3. Get to work.
   If we have not been a faithful servant in the past, we can start doing it now. Don’t despair about your history; live with determination for your future, resolve to be led by God’s Spirit, and be determined to live in faithfulness.

The irony of this parable is the man with the smallest amount of responsibility was the one who was declared wicked and lazy. The measure is not how much God has given us but what we do with it. In other words, there are no excuses.

Wherever we are in life, and whatever we are given, we have no excuse to not grow our talents. We are called to be responsible for our large or small opportunities.

Let us pray:

Dear God, we thank You for the gifts You‘ve given each of us. We pray that we will be faithful in using these gifts. Help us to play our part to the best of our ability. Grant that we will so live today that when we stand before you face to face, we will hear your welcoming words,

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Amen.

Delivered at Street Church, Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH; 19 November 2023