“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,
who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags,
and to another one bag, each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey."
who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags,
and to another one bag, each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey."
THE PARABLE of the talents is a familiar story for many.
A man preparing for a journey entrusts his possessions to three servants. The first servant receives the equivalent of five thousand dollars. The second servant is given two thousand dollars, and the third servant receives one thousand dollars.
After a long time, the man returns from his journey and has his servants present him with what has become of their entrusted talents. The first servant had doubled his five thousand dollars, and the second servant had doubled his two thousand. But the third servant had buried his money in the ground out of fear, only returning the original amount to the master.
The first two servants are commended for the results of their diligence. But the third servant is scolded by the master and thrown out for being lazy and worthless. The master then takes the third servant's talents and presents them to the first servant, who had profited the most.
Jesus explains the law of investment in Matthew 25.
THE PRESENCE of the talents comes in many forms.
God gives us countless blessings every day. With a new year around the corner we are reminded of people we love, possessions we own, dreams we hold, time we value, food we enjoy, bodies we cherish, and room we have for improvement. I believe these gifts are talents God entrusts to us. We can respond by either Holding On or Holding Out.
Holding On is protecting the talents God gives.
When something is placed in a person's hand, the natural response is to make a fist and grip it securely. Parents do this with children. Men do this with women. America does this with freedom.
Imagine a person receiving a handful of sand. What happens when they try to hold it by making a fist? It slowly slips through their fingers. The tighter the grip, the faster it slips. The more restrictions parents put on their kids, the greater the chance of inciting rebellion and losing them altogether. The more a man controls a woman for her own protection, the more she wants to walk away. The harder governments fight for freedom and equality, the further it imposes itself on its citizens. By holding too tightly to things we love, we risk losing what we already have. When we bury our talents in fear of losing them, they WILL be taken away.
Holding Out is investing the talents we receive.
The way to hold the most sand in your hand is by keeping your palm wide open. When we receive blessings, we must do it with open hands, holding them loosely as a sacrifice of praise to God. Talents are temporary. We are given them for a time. It isn't about holding to what we have, because it will all eventually slip away. The Law of Investment is the call to boldly sacrifice trust with wisdom, to give God control of the blessings He provides. Talents are opportunities to bring God glory by receiving them loosely and offering them freely back. Are we investing wisely?
We are told in I Corinthians 13 that "love always trusts." What does that look like? Does that mean trusting everyone all the time? I don't think so. That would be foolish, because people are not completely trustworthy. No, I believe it means entrusting everyone all the time…entrusting them to God. He IS completely trustworthy, so we can always trust God with people. all people. all the time. It is a sure bet - a wise investment!
THE PURPOSE of the talents is to challenge our investment strategy.
What have you done with the talents in your life? How have you invested in people? in your dreams? How have you invested your resources? your time? your body? your spiritual gifts?
Trusting God with things we love is far from easy. Parents want to protect their kids. Men want to protect their wives. America wants to protect her freedom. I want to protect my sister, but the fact is, I may never see her again. It's not fun thinking about losing something or someone you love. Entrusting these things to God is not easy, but it's wise, and it's totally worth it!
Talents come in many forms, but the types of servants are only two. Which are you?
Have you been a good and faithful servant, holding out your talents through trust in God? Or have you been a wicked and lazy servant, holding on to them in fear?
The good news is - the master is coming back! The investment is maturing! The talents will be counted, and the servants will be rewarded accordingly. God wants to give you great and marvelous things, even before that day! As you are faithful with little, He will entrust you with much, much more.
It's all a matter of how you hold your hands.
Receive a very blessed 2012, friend!
A man preparing for a journey entrusts his possessions to three servants. The first servant receives the equivalent of five thousand dollars. The second servant is given two thousand dollars, and the third servant receives one thousand dollars.
After a long time, the man returns from his journey and has his servants present him with what has become of their entrusted talents. The first servant had doubled his five thousand dollars, and the second servant had doubled his two thousand. But the third servant had buried his money in the ground out of fear, only returning the original amount to the master.
The first two servants are commended for the results of their diligence. But the third servant is scolded by the master and thrown out for being lazy and worthless. The master then takes the third servant's talents and presents them to the first servant, who had profited the most.
Jesus explains the law of investment in Matthew 25.
THE PRESENCE of the talents comes in many forms.
God gives us countless blessings every day. With a new year around the corner we are reminded of people we love, possessions we own, dreams we hold, time we value, food we enjoy, bodies we cherish, and room we have for improvement. I believe these gifts are talents God entrusts to us. We can respond by either Holding On or Holding Out.
Holding On is protecting the talents God gives.
When something is placed in a person's hand, the natural response is to make a fist and grip it securely. Parents do this with children. Men do this with women. America does this with freedom.
Imagine a person receiving a handful of sand. What happens when they try to hold it by making a fist? It slowly slips through their fingers. The tighter the grip, the faster it slips. The more restrictions parents put on their kids, the greater the chance of inciting rebellion and losing them altogether. The more a man controls a woman for her own protection, the more she wants to walk away. The harder governments fight for freedom and equality, the further it imposes itself on its citizens. By holding too tightly to things we love, we risk losing what we already have. When we bury our talents in fear of losing them, they WILL be taken away.
The tighter the grip,
the faster it slips.
the faster it slips.
Holding Out is investing the talents we receive.
The way to hold the most sand in your hand is by keeping your palm wide open. When we receive blessings, we must do it with open hands, holding them loosely as a sacrifice of praise to God. Talents are temporary. We are given them for a time. It isn't about holding to what we have, because it will all eventually slip away. The Law of Investment is the call to boldly sacrifice trust with wisdom, to give God control of the blessings He provides. Talents are opportunities to bring God glory by receiving them loosely and offering them freely back. Are we investing wisely?
We are told in I Corinthians 13 that "love always trusts." What does that look like? Does that mean trusting everyone all the time? I don't think so. That would be foolish, because people are not completely trustworthy. No, I believe it means entrusting everyone all the time…entrusting them to God. He IS completely trustworthy, so we can always trust God with people. all people. all the time. It is a sure bet - a wise investment!
THE PURPOSE of the talents is to challenge our investment strategy.
What have you done with the talents in your life? How have you invested in people? in your dreams? How have you invested your resources? your time? your body? your spiritual gifts?
Trusting God with things we love is far from easy. Parents want to protect their kids. Men want to protect their wives. America wants to protect her freedom. I want to protect my sister, but the fact is, I may never see her again. It's not fun thinking about losing something or someone you love. Entrusting these things to God is not easy, but it's wise, and it's totally worth it!
Talents come in many forms, but the types of servants are only two. Which are you?
Have you been a good and faithful servant, holding out your talents through trust in God? Or have you been a wicked and lazy servant, holding on to them in fear?
The good news is - the master is coming back! The investment is maturing! The talents will be counted, and the servants will be rewarded accordingly. God wants to give you great and marvelous things, even before that day! As you are faithful with little, He will entrust you with much, much more.
It's all a matter of how you hold your hands.
Receive a very blessed 2012, friend!
