Hidden Talents

Using a God given Talent

Being a faithful disciple means to understand who has given me the blessings in my life and how I am to use them for the building of God’s kingdom.

Early on in life, my understanding of God was that His wrath was more worrisome than His love.

However, over the years, building upon faith situations gave me the understanding to know that when God gives me something it is to be used for the building of His kingdom. One of the most beneficial parts of that obedience in being a disciple is that the blessings of being in the relationship with God are more bountiful and I can witness His love for me and those who I am to share with.

The meaning of a talent in the Bible is different than the English version of “Natural aptitude or Skill” but rather “A former currency used during the time of the Romans”

What is interesting is that whether I am teaching about the talents that are part of your character or the form of currency, God has a desire for His disciples to be wise with both.

Misusing Talent

Many of us have different talents that are not being used for the building of God’s kingdom. Instead, we use God’s resources He has given to us and have determined that we shall live in fear of the world and of God’s wrath instead of His commands to go into the world and preach the kingdom of repentance, reconciliation, and rejoicing in heaven.

When we misunderstand the intentions of God’s character, our actions will reflect this. We may hide away our own talent in fear of what the world will say about it. Our misunderstanding of what God truly desires from us causes us to be paralyzed with fear instead of motivated by love.

It is the same way for those who do not fully understand that God is both merciful and just. He has commands for all of us accordingly. Meaning that all parts of the body of Christ operate best when they understand theirselves within that body.

Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14 NASB95

“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

Our Master has went away

Jesus is the Lord of the Kingdom who has bestowed the gifts and talents upon those in the kingdom. He has asked that we use those gifts and talents to grow the kingdom of God. We are to be wise with our gifts to benefit not only the kingdom but our obedience to His commands bestows upon us a blessing we would never notice otherwise.

God has entrusted His possessions to the world. He has left for a little while but will return.

What are we to do with the talent that He has given us?

Matthew 25:15 NASB95

“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

All people are equally loved in the eyes of the Father. However, we are not all equally able to do the skills of another. God understands this and has given the resources to each of these people according to their ability.

The master does not give the slave something which they will be incapable of being responsible for.

A local politician just starting out in a small town as mayor would not be given responsibility of an entire country if they had not first proven themselves in their character. How we respond with our talent and gifts exercises our faith muscle.

Matthew 25:16 NASB95

“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.

Immediately. This is the response of the faithful servant who understand that his master would not send him on a journey without being given the ability to fulfill his master’s request.

He is not sitting around pondering about what the master wants him to do. He obeys the words because they are easy to understand and clear to follow.

Matthew 25:17 NASB95

“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.

Although the second servant had been given less, he does the exact same as the first servant. He willfully obeys the master’s desire and proceeds as the first servant.

Matthew 25:18 NASB95

“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

The slave who doesn’t understand the master and does not work to understand the master has only been given a little to be entrusted with. God gives to those according to their ability and will check back with us to see how we are doing with our gifts.

Matthew 25:19 NASB95

“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

Jesus will return one day to settle His account with the world. Revelation is a prophecy of that return when those who have been faithful will be bestowed with white robes and live eternally with God. What better reward than that!

Matthew 25:20 NASB95

“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

Servants who put the gifts God has given them to work in turn give back to God what is already His. This first servant has understood that what was given to him was to be used to continue the growth of the kingdom. Preservation of the kingdom during the absence of the King is the responsibility of those who God has entrusted with this.

Matthew 25:21 NASB95

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Because this servant was faithful with a few things the master gave him more. Even more than what the slave could have wished for. He was given the permission to enter into the joy of the master.

The good and faithful servant enters into the joy of eternal life with God upon His return.

Matthew 25:22 NASB95

“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’

Matthew 25:23 NASB95

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

According to the ability of the servant, the reward is the same. God does not give less reward to those who are faithful and obedient with less. He is more merciful and full of abundance than we can imagine.

Because the faith of the servant is that of one who is faithful with a few things, God gives him more.

Matthew 25:24 NASB95

“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.

With this third slave, his misunderstanding of the Master places characteristics which are not there unless disobedience stems from the heart. The master was neither harsh nor difficult with those who were obedient to what they were given charge of. Instead, they were blessed beyond their abilities.

Matthew 25:25 NASB95

‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

Fear drove the third slave to hide away what he did not understand. His gift and talent was not put to use because he did not work to understand more of what was desired. Notice all the time spent in hiding without noticing what was going on with the other two slaves who were putting their talents to use.

Matthew 25:26 NASB95

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

The master denounces the slave as wicked and lazy.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible proclaims that the irony is that the slave gets exactly what he had feared because he did not put the talent to use.

Matthew 25:27 NASB95

‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

If fear was the driving force and the slave did not know what to do with his talent then it should have been given to those who knew what to do with it.

How many people do not know what to do with their gifts or money and instead hide it away instead of using it to further the kingdom of God?

Matthew 25:28 NASB95

‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

God knows that if the talent is given to the one who knows what to do with it then the reward for the growth of the kingdom will be beneficial.

Matthew 25:29 NASB95

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

Matthew 25:30 NASB95

“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There will be a time of reckoning along with a time of eternal reward. God uses this parable to show the world, which is often consumed by monetary reward, how to properly use that gift.

Don’t Hide Your Talent

Ultimately, what is given to you is temporary. Your gifts and talents are not yours to have eternally unless you give them back for the benefit of the kingdom.

In this parable, those who obediently and faithfully use their talent for growth give back to the master when he returns what they have received.

Because they have put their talent to use, they are given more than they ever expected. The master gives them back what they worked for and more.

You cannot out give God. You can not imagine the reward that God has for you.

However, if you only live in fear of the consequences of the wrath that will come upon the unbeliever, the irony is you will instead experience that wrath instead of the mercy.

God gives the growth to those who are obedient with His kingdom.

Some of you are wondering why growth may not be happening where you desire. However, God desires that your growth be placed where He has given you the talent.

Many of us have families that we are entrusted with to grow first disciples with and then when that is working we are able to proceed outwardly into the world.

We are given neighbors with whom we are to love and share the gospel with.

We are given opportunities to help out those who are near us first before being able to help all.

We are given the abilities to do with our gifts only what we are capable of doing. Instead of worrying about why we are not reaching thousands, we must first put to use our talents with what we have been given.

Once we have been faithful with the little, we will be given more.

Many people covet the blessings of those who have been given much but misunderstand that the reward for those who have been given little and those who have been given much is the same; eternal life with God is the reward.

It is not the measure of how much we have here on earth but the measure of what we are doing with what we are given; if we faithfully use what we are given and are capable of giving back in love and not fear, we will earn the words of the Father who says

Matthew 25:23 NASB95

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’