Matthew
25:14-30
“For it
will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and
entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to
another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then
he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and
traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the
two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent
went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after
a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with
them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five
talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have
made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good
and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I
will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he
also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me
two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I
will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who
had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to
be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you
scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the
ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered
him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I
have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought
to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and
give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more
be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even
what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless
servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.’
Now
pause real quick and pray about what you have read, read it again if you need
to really soak it in. What is Jesus saying to us? I will give you what I have
read, it was actually in my Bible study not too long ago, so I didn't come up
with this on my own! I just found it very valuable information, one which we
pass over all too quickly.
Master entrusting his servants to certain property while he was away, what does that mean for us?
This is
God giving us certain gifts, or talents, unique to us. God is entrusting us
with those gifts to use for His glory while He is away, and to share them with
others until we meet Him again. It doesn't have to make a million hits on
youtube or get a certain number of likes and shares on facebook to mean you
used your gift to the best of your ability. Many times you won't see the impact
you made on someone else. Jesus is coming back to make the world right again,
what are you doing with your time? We are supposed to walk by faith, which not
only means to trust God with everything in life, but to also live and breathe
it. What would your life look like if you stopped and thought about that
situation through the eyes of God first? What would you do differently? Your
thoughts, speech, actions, and way you spent your time could change, and for
the better also!
The reactions of the master.
Look at
how the master reacted when he got home, he was proud of the work the first two
servants did. They spent their time wisely and multiplied the gifts. The last
servant did nothing and he was cast out. Do you use your gifts to further the
kingdom of God? Love and compassion for others should drive you to want to tell
others about God's kingdom, the love and joy they could find there would far
exceed any experience on this earth! I remember watching a video of an
atheist who stated, "how much do you have to hate someone to not
proselytize?", which is evangelizing.
You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w
That has always stuck with me, really think about it. Do you truly believe in hell? Do you truly believe God's word about how terrible of a place it is, and unbelievers will spend eternity there? Why would you avoid conversations with others about it for the sake of social awkwardness? Open up yourself to others, if God comes to your mind during conversations, don't hold back what you believe, speak up! Live your faith and don't be afraid of what people may think of you because of your belief. We have all shied away from the topic of religion, I did and I regret it. I often think about what I could have said. Their eternity is more important than a moment or two of awkwardness, remember that.
Finally, I want to urge you to take action. Think about what your gift is. Talk to your pastor, your parents, and your friends. Pray and seek God's will. What is your gift? It could be one on one conversations, participation in the church praise team, teaching, artistic abilities, and many others. Even giving a kind smile could help someone else out. Often, the gifts of a group can all be utilized for God's glory as well. There is power when all God's people come together. Second, educate yourself with God's word and never stop. God said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Our faith has a lot of growing to do! God also said to always be prepared to have an answer for the hope that is in you, the hope in Christ Jesus, our Savior. If someone asks you a question that you don't have the answer to, it is okay to say, "I don't know, but I will study and get back to you." You don't want to give a wrong answer for the sake of not seeming smart. We aren't geniuses and people know that, being humble enough to say "I don't know" so you can give an educated answer later is the wise thing to do.
If you have any questions about what I believe, please ask! I want to talk to you about it!