Using What GOD Has Given Us
The parabale of the talents is a prable about how god will judge the world and his people. It talks about a situation that was common in the time of Jesus and is still common today. A man who was leaving on a trip leaves his servants with different thing to take care of. They are to make sure that they are not damaged or stolen and things of that sort, make sure that if continues to work for the man. That is continues to be profitable while he is away. Two of the servants double the investment they are left to take care of , the third gains nothing from his for the man, in fact he doesn’t even try because he is afraid, and wo what he was entrusted with is taken away from him and he is told to leave the house, in other words he was fired.
The question is what lesson does this story have for us. It is commonly interpreted as a message to work hard developing the gifts and talents that god have given us, and if you aren’t productive with what God has given you, you will lose it. This however is not entirely true.
It is true that God wants us to use his gifts to multiply and to benefit his Kingdom but it is not true that we are judged according to the quantity of or work nor the quality of that work. As Paul has written it is by grace through faith, that we are saved, not by works lest any man boast. If we say that the Parable of the talents is not talking about developing the gifts that we have been given and to say that it is only speaking of how productive we are for God, then have missed what is so good about the Christan life, we miss the good news of Jesus and will end up like the servant who failed to invest the talent, we will end up being afraid and worried about how well we will do, and whethere or not it will please God.
The parable of the talents is not a lesson on ability or productivit. It is a lesson about moral quality the faith and attitude we should have. Let’s look and the servant who buried his talent.When he was asked to give an accounting of what he has done with his talent what does he say. "Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed
and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own"
Here is the problem the judgement that falls upon him, was not because he had failed to produce wealth for his master, but because he was afraid to try. 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; Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
There is no sin in failure. There is only sin in not attempting or in not listening to God and striving to do his will.
The man was afraid and because of that he did not try. This is the basis on which he was judged. And this is the is also the basis that Christians will be judged.You knew that I harvest where I have not sown. You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers so that when I returned I would have at least got interest. But you did nothing. You were afraid you tried to absolve yourself of your responsibility by burying your talent. You knew but you did nothing you didn’t even try. This is what the master said to his servant. So my guestion to you is, is this what you want you master to say to you. If not I suggest that each of you use your gifts to do God’s will. How many times have you heard the saying it’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. This is a statement that we should always remember for oursleves when we look at both the gifts and the problems we have.
But often times we don’t remember this statement when it comes to our own lives. We focus on the fact that we may fail and refuse to try, we forget that God is not concerned with the quanity of the harvest but whether or not a crop has been planted. The man in the parable was not just someone who failed to invest a item of vaule, but was also someone who tried to disown any liability for it. He followed the pattern of the times the pattern that said if you where given something of vaule you could absolve responibility for it by burying it. This has lead to some delightful finds years later by archaeologists, but will not work for us as it did not work for the man in the parable.
God holds us responible for what he has given us he expects us to try and work with it, and if we do he will honour us and we will not fail, but he will not honour us if we do not make an attempt. Like our talents our problems often come thrust upon us by things of the world. We can not absolve our selves from them or from the things they call us to do. Our problems like our talents need to be worked with. Some people are aware of thier problems but refuse to deal with them some bury there sadness, and refuse to acknowlegde thier anger or they choose to blame someone else for thier problem. Whether you bury your problems or blame others for them, the effect is the same they do not get dealt with, they do not get worked with because responsibility is not claimed. Many of the problems we have we are not to blame and we did not cause them nor did we deserve them but we are responsible for dealing with them, just as we are responisble for using the good things that God has given us for the good of others.
When we choose not to take responsibility for our problems and dealing with them they remain with us causing us to suffer endlessly. Much as not working with our talents leads us to lose them, so not working with our problems leads us to have more of them. In both cases we sufffer because we have not tried. Let’s look and people who have suffered because of their home life some of them are now strong happy people. They have looked at their problems rather than burying them. They have taken responsibility for working with them rather than blaming other for them, and because they were not afraid to deal with their problem God honoured there effort and brought them through just as he will do for each of us.
While it is not always clear as to why God lets somethings happen to us. God does expect us to try to develop the things that we have so that the world around us can benefit from them, so that those gifts might be fruitful in us, and add to the good things God’s world needs.
God expects us to try to work with our problems so that we might become stronger and happier and experience the blessings of life, blessings we can then pass on to others who are struggling with the same problems. But more than this God by giving us his talents and love is showing you that you don’t have to do all this work on you own. God gives us friends and counsellors, and most important he gives us his Holy Spirit and his living word so that we like the servants of the parable can together give new hope to the world.
Today we have been entrusted with talents by God, and we all have pains which we must deal with. We have been given the tools we need. We have been given each other and we have God, God like the master in the parable believed in his servants he believes in us, He trusts us to do well with his love, to develop the gifts he gives us. He trusts us because he made us. God will honour all our endeavours. Do not fear failure because even when we do not double the goodness in the world, even if we do not personally conquer all our problems or solve all the crises we face, if we have tried to work with what God has given us then he will be pleased with us. The cup of peace and goodness will be more full than it was and we will drink from it at the time or judgement
Let us pray Heavenly father we think you for this day for you grace and your mercy, and for all the blessings that you have besode upon us. Lord I pray that by your spirit you will help us to develop what you have given us so that we may help a world that is in need or your help. Lord remember the backslider. Father continue to bless us and to meet our needs according to your riches in glory. Father lead us and guide us that you will not ours may be done.
