Stewardship: Gifts & Talents

I am going to start this series off with the stewardship of God-given gifts and talents. As mentioned, in the introduction of this month’s series, stewardship is “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something. Especially, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's careful stewardship of natural resources.” (Merriam-Webster). 

In Matthew 25: 14-30, Jesus shares a parable with us regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. What is a parable? Jesus often used parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven in a relatable manner to help others understand his teachings concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this parable (Matthew 25:14-30), we find a man who travels to a faraway country, but before he goes on His journey, He gives His servants goods. He then tells them, upon His return, He will settle accounts with them regarding the investments they made with the goods he has given them (Matthew 25:13-19).

The man gave three of his servants a total of ten talents. To the first servant, he gave five talents, the second two talents, and the third servant, one talent. When the man returned from his journey, he found the first two servants invested their talents, receiving double on their return. Meaning, the first servant returned with five more (10 total), and the second servant returned with two additional talents (4 total). This made the man happy. Because the two servants were faithful over a few things, he made them rulers over many things. Able to enter the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:20-23). 

Unfortunately, the third servant did not steward his talent well. The third servant chose not to invest his talent because he was afraid, burying his talent for no one to see. Hearing this, the man became angry and called the servant wicked and lazy for not investing his talent. The man preferred the servant would have invested his talent elsewhere, instead of hiding it away. As a result, the servant was cast into the outer darkness. (Matthew 25:24-30).

This parable was shared with the people to encourage them to be good stewards over what they had been entrusted. Not only were they to steward the talents well, but the unspoken expectation was also to invest, by sharing them with others.

God is requiring us to do the same. As servants of God, He has given us gifts and talents, according to our abilities (Matthew 25:15). Yet equally rewarded, on how we stewarded those gifts. Similar to the men in the parable, when Christ returns, He will settle accounts with us, to see how we have stewarded and invested in what He has given us. 

What an incredible honor it is to know God has given us specific gifts and talents to steward over. In turn, we are to use these gifts and talents and invest them by sharing our gifts and talents with the world. I am not sure about you, but it brings me great joy to know I have something valuable to invest in this world.

This week, I want to encourage you to be a good steward of the gifts and talents God has given you to the fullest. In addition to sharing your gifts and talents with the world, invest in others by sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God as well.

So, if you are a janitor, clean to the best of your ability. If you teach, teach with all your heart, knowing you are teaching our future. If you dance, dance with everything you’ve got. If you preach, preach the true word of God and not the doctrine of men. If you are in the healthcare field, treat everyone with the best bedside manners you have, and care for your patients as if they were your loved ones. 

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24). If you are not a Christian, no worries. As God is the creator of all things, He has given you gifts and talents to share with the world too. If you would like to know more about Christ, connect with me or someone you know, who is a Christian.

So, I encourage all of you, Christian, or not, to give it everything you’ve got from this day forward. Don’t be like the servant who had one talent, mistaking God to be a harsh God. As if He were impossible to serve or impossible to please, refusing to invest in His Kingdom. Don’t be selfish, thinking your gifts and talents are just for you and the circle around you. As the parable states, when the servants settled accounts with the man, the servant who hid his talent was cast into outer darkness.

In other words, if you are not going to use the gifts and talents you have been given, teach someone else how to use them. You don’t want to be cast into outer darkness, so invest those gifts and talents into someone else.

Now, you might be saying, well, I don’t know what to do. I don't know what gifts I have or my purpose. Not a problem at all. In Ephesians 1:11-12, the Bible says, we find out who we are and what we were created for through Jesus Christ. Well, I’ve done too much to talk to Him. He doesn’t love me. Why would He want to use me? “But, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27). God wants to use you, and He will if you are willing! 

Through Jesus, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His Grace. Ephesians 2:1, goes on to say, “And being dead in trespasses and sins as sons of disobedience, He makes us alive.” 

Lastly, Ephesians 2:4 says, but God, but usually means there is a shift. "But God, who is rich in His mercy, because of HIS GREAT LOVE, with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses makes us alive together with Christ.” Through Jesus Christ, we receive salvation, redemption, life, and the forgiveness of sins. For whosoever will believe in Jesus Christ, will not perish, but have everlasting life. 

So again, I encourage you to use all that has been given to you, because time waits for no one.

Be Encouraged!