Have You Buried Your Talent in the Ground?
“You wicked and lazy servant!” Strong words of disapproval that no one would ever want to hear. Those are the words describing the servant who did not multiply his talents. Like this servant, have you buried your talent?In this parable, the rich man goes on a journey, and the English Standard Version (ESV) says, “he entrusts his servants with his property.” The talents from the beginning never belong to the servants. However they must multiply them, and in the end, their success in growing the talents becomes their reward. The master praises their excellence, “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.” The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 is a powerful story about the way we should live our lives. The bible holds the instruction we need for ALL of life.
The lessons from this parable are numerous.
Firstly, we are told that our talents do not belong to us, but they are put into our care. With the more obvious talents, it’s easy to see this. The little girl that opens her mouth and a beautiful melody comes out. Everyone is surprised at the gift she holds, and I’m pretty sure even she is in shock. She doesn’t know where it came from, but as she grows she will understand it has been gifted to her.Secondly, when the master returns, he expects a return on his property. There’s a moral duty to grown one’s talents. It’s not an option. If it were an option, I think less strong words are of good use to describe the servant who did nothing with the talent. After all, he merely returned exactly what he was given. He didn’t return less, but returning exactly what he was given was the crime.Greatness is an innate human desire. It’s not a mistake. God placed that desire within us. Then he equipped us with various gifts to reach our greatness. Proverbs 18:16 confirms this, “A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.”
Related Post: Greatness Is Your Destiny
It's no wonder when we are operating in our gifting, there’s a fire that is ignited inside us. We feel alive. Time has no place; you could do whatever it is all day. That is God’s design for your unique purpose to bring you joy as you work. Ecclesiastes 5:20 says it perfectly, “They do not worry about how short life is because God keeps them busy with what they love to do.” Consequently, when we operate outside of what we are meant to do, we get bored and feel unfulfilled.
Have you buried your talent in the ground?
The late Myles Munroe said, “The richest place on earth is the cemetery.” For there lies buried the unsung songs, unwritten books, paintings that never were, inventions that could change history. Even products to improve our lives. What a sad reality.Choose today to use your gift, trust the Creator’s design. You are a masterpiece, and only you can multiply your talent. Your contribution is part of the grand picture to gain more territory for the kingdom. Put your faith to work, no more dead faith and buried talents. Just start. Let us please our maker. We were born to make His name glorious.