Wasted & Unused Gifts
This devotional looks at a parable we’ve all heard: the one where the servant buries the one talent his master gave him. Our Master, God Almighty, has given us many talents & abilities to use in the upbuilding of His Kingdom. Are we using them or hiding them in the ground?
In the book of Matthew, we read: “14For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. (Matthew 25:14-18)
This parable of the talents helps us understand what Jesus expects of us in this life. God blesses us with time, money, & resources. He has given each of us an ability & opportunity to use those resources. How we use the gifts God has given is up to us.
We can ask ourselves what exactly are these gifts from God. Let’s look at some of the things we have & determine where we got them.
Were you able to get out of bed this morning? Do you have many friends to help you do things? Who gave you those gifts? Do you have clothes to wear? Who gave you the ability to get those clothes? Do you have the money you need to cover your financial obligations? Who gave you that gift? Do you have a friendly personality & the ability to make new friends easily? Do you have the education you need to understand things you encounter in life? Have you had experiences in life that could be the encouragement someone else needs to hear? Do you have a testimony of the blessings of God that could be what your neighbor or coworker needs to hear to make the decision to give their life to the Lord & ask for eternal salvation? All those are great gifts from God.
When God gives you a gift, He expects you to use it wisely. He expects you to take it to the place where it can thrive, let it work the way it was designed to work, & then be returned to God having increased it. A singer cannot increase the gift God has given him if he becomes a lawyer. A lawyer cannot increase the gift God has given him if he becomes a missionary. Such things reflect the thought that each of us has a specific calling in life & is given certain abilities & gifts. If we try to do something other than our calling, even if it is a noble cause, we cannot be fruitful for Christ. It was no accident that you were given the gifts or talents you have. It was a divine appointment orchestrated by God.
It is our responsibility to recognize & use the abilities God has given us. There are certain talents that each of us possess. Sometimes we cannot see it ourselves, but our friends & family know the areas in which we are gifted. If you are gifted in listening, it only makes sense to find a job where you can serve people by listening to them. If you have a gift for organization, seek a job that requires great organizational skills.
This may seem straightforward, but how many of us are in jobs that are not suited for our gifts? I myself worked in a profession for three years before I realized that I was not using the gifts God had given me & needed to find a new career. I had taken the job for the reason of needing a full-time position to pay bills. I was more concerned about taking care of my physical needs than serving those around me by using my talents. While at the time it seemed like a good decision, by accepting that career, I was in fact burying the talent God had given me. The abilities you have are planted in a place where they can thrive, bear fruit, & return that fruit back to the owner, Jesus Christ.
Now let’s turn & look at how we are using our gifts to fulfill the duties the Lord has given us in church. Churches have leadership positions such as pastor, ministry directors, & deacons that the congregation might find intimidating or feel like they can’t serve in that position effectively.
To truly know if we can serve in those positions, we have to take a look at the gifts, or talents God has given us. God does not call us to serve in areas that He won’t equip us for. We have to take a look at what we have & ask ourselves how we can use it to build up the Kingdom of God.
In almost every church, there is a large number of people who could serve in positions such as ministry directors or deacons, but they won’t use the talents their Lord has given them. They bury it in the ground where it gets wasted. Doing this does not bring honor & glory to God & God does not want anything to be wasted. He knows what He has given us & sees our potential. He has a purpose for everything if we look for it.
For example, God did not want this traumatic brain injury He blessed me with to be wasted. He sent me to Hopewell at just the right time, we were going to need a new leader in the senior citizen ministry. Because of the gift of being disabled, I can relate to those who face similar physical challenges. Others have seen how active I am in church & have been moved by what I do in spite of the injury. I am not trying to glorify myself; only give God the honor & glory for how He has used me to serve His divine purposes. God has blessed me by appointing me as president of senior ministry, director of nursing home ministry, active choir member, & active deacon in spite of my physical disabilities.
Spend some time reflecting on your talents to reveal to yourself & to others the gifts God has blessed you with. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to hear the Lord ask me why I buried the many talents He gave me. I would much rather hear Him say, “Well done my good & faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
