Matt 25:14-30; 1 Cor. 10:31-4/21/2106-Don’t Bury Your Gift

Last week we talked about grace and how it is equal and given to all who come to Jesus Christ and once we accept Him as Savior and Master over our lives, we find out we have certain gifts.

Maybe these were talents we had before we became believers, and maybe we discovered them after. The important note is not to get caught up in the details of whether you had the gifts, talents, or abilities, or even resources before or after you became a Christian.

Rather, remember that every good thing you have, whether a talent, ability, or resource is ultimately a gift from God.

We are caretakers, and if we know who has given us these gifts, and if we love Him, should we not use them for His glory? If the farmer has graced us to work in His field, and has promised us a grace-filled reward, should we not do all we can to please Him?

If you work a muscle and you use it, it becomes stronger, if not it weakens and shrinks. It is the same idea with our talents and gifts, and we can look at this parable to prove that.

The Master gives the talents (here “talents” means money) to these servants and leaves, and in the meantime the servants are given the chance to be faithful, and so the first servant invests well and doubles his money, and the second servant does the same.

The third servant…hides the money in the ground, and as time passed the Master returned and look what happened. The first two servants, who I can imagine loved their Master, came forward, and I would imagine they couldn’t wait to show Him what they had.

Then we get to the third who shows…nothing but what he had been given at the start, and when we read the Master’s response, we think it is a bit harsh and unfair, but before we judge the Master, we have to look at the servant first.

It is not as though this servant had tried sincerely to please the Master but just had a string of bad luck. Instead, the third servant didn’t even try. He did not even try because He did not love the Master and did not trust Him. Instead the servant thought he could just get by with the bare minimum.

So, the Master is saying, “You didn’t try at all here. If you had tried because you love me and even if it was not that much that you earned, I still would have celebrated with you. It was because you did not even try that I am taking your gift and giving it to those who trust me enough to take a step forward in faith, and they were blessed.”

I think the third servant acted wickedly because he did not have a proper understanding of the Master. So how does this parable speak to us today?…It is meant to show us something. The Master in the parable is God, and He gives us giftings, and says, “Ok, at the end of it all, I want to see how you have used what I gave you.”

But unlike the master in the story, God does not leave us completely. He gives us the Holy Spirit, who shows us in the Bible, in prayer, in worship and in community what to do with our talents. He shows us how to use them wisely.

If we are seeking after God and His will for our life, He will show us the way. So He gives us these talents, and just like a muscle grows when it is used, He wants us to use them, and to be like the first and second servants.

Sadly, there are many people, individuals, and groups, that don’t have a right understanding of God, so they act like the third servant, and they take their God-given gifts, and because they are scared, they don’t use the gifts.

I can understand because I still struggle sometimes, and I think, “But Lord, what if I fail at it?”

Friends, take joy in this fact: If you are sincerely trying to serve God with the gifts He gave you, and are using them the best that you can, then you cannot fail.

So don’t let fear stop you from serving. Trust God instead. He wants us to use what He gave us for His glory, and our neighbor’s good. We all have gifts. Everyone is good at something, so put it in God’s hands and say “Lord, how do you want me to do this for you?”

Take responsibility for the gifts He gave you. This is how a church grows, everyone using their God-given gifts for His glory and our neighbor’s good. And remember, if you have a heart that loves God, and you use your gifts for Him…YOU CANNOT FAIL 🙂