Are We In The Game Or Riding The Pine?

It’s March! Spring may have felt like it’s sprung the past couple days with the beautiful weather we’ve been having. March bring lots of things. For one thing, it brings time change. That wonderful thing we all had to do last night so that we could wake up an hour earlier this morning. March bring a lot of other things though. For me, it brings an Anniversary! For some, it brings a Birthday. One thing that comes around every March that I really look forward to is March Madness. I used to play basketball in high school, and I still love to play. I also love to watch basketball. I love when tournament time rolls around. I like watching college basketball, because for me it’s the real game. Some people are talented at basketball, and some aren’t. In high school, if you weren’t good enough, you didn’t make the team.

Now basketball is a sport that has 10 players on the court, 5 from each team. The goal of the coach is to get 5 players out on the court for his team that are talented, strong, wise, and able. Now there are more than 5 players on a team. The rest of the players watch the game from the bench, or as it’s called, “Riding the Pine”. Some players are there because they’re just not as good as some other players, but they’re there if they need them in a pinch. But some players are on the bench because they might not use their full potential. Maybe academically they’re not doing all that great. There is some reason they’re riding the pine and not in the game. It may not be that they have less talent, they just haven’t used their talent properly.

However, we all have talents that are given to us by God to use for His Kingdom.

Matthew 25:14-30 For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. (16) Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. (17) In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. (18) But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. (19) Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. (20) And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. (21) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (22) And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents. (23) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (24) And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; (25) and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. (26) But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; (27) thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest. (28) Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. (29) For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. (30) And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

This morning I want us to concentrate on the man who received 1 talent. How much are we like this man sometimes? We are given talent and we don’t use them to the full potential that we could be. We see here that this man really didn’t know his master at all because he said that he was a hard man. He accuses the master of reaping where he didn’t sow, and gathering what he didn’t scatter. The way the master repeats this accusation doesn’t mean that it was true. It was the master’s way of saying if you really thought that was how I was then that should’ve motivated you to work all the harder to please me. We don’t want to be like the 1 talent man, yet sometimes we are. We want to be the ones in the game, not the ones riding the pine. So this morning I want us to look at 3 things I believe we can do to make so we’re more like the 5 and 2 talent servants than the 1 talent servant.