Parable of the Talents and our Spiritual Gifts

Read Matthew 25:14-30

You have heard this parable many times from me.  I hope you have studied it on your own as well.  Many times I have used this parable in conjunction with stewardship, asking the question, What did you do with what God gave you?

It’s a good question.  We should examine ourselves with this question on a recurring basis.

Often when I preached or taught this parable, I would divide our stewardship up into three areas:  time, talent, and treasure.  It is a good dissection of some basic areas.

After a time, I included time, talent, treasure, and added the gospel.  Now there’s a trust that we have been given.  What did we do with what God gave us, in this case, the gospel?

Have we buried it in the ground?  Have we invested it in others?  What did we do with this precious gift from God that we call the good news?

That’s about as far as we can dissect this parable, right?  What about, what did we do with the gifts that God gave us?  What about our Spiritual gifts?  Did we put them to work at once?  Did we bury them in the ground?

Time and treasure are easy to quantify.  We understand count and measure.  We get that.

Talents are a little different but we find them when we look for them and then, we either put them to work for our Master or we don’t.

Spiritual Gifts are similar to our talents, but the return on investment is multiplied.  We produce a return not only for our Master but for the Body of Christ. 

I am challenging you that to not put your Spiritual Gift or Gifts to work is the same as burying them in the ground.  Think to the words of the master in the parable as he addresses this third servant—the one who buried his talent in the ground.

His master replied, You wicked, lazy servant!

The servant had his reasons.  He was afraid.  The master was a hard man.  The master expected returns even where he had not invested. 

And the master’s reply was you should have at least done the minimum.  You could have gone to the bank, opened up a savings account or even a CD, and I would have received some interest upon my return.

You should have at least put your gift to work every few weeks, at least you would have something to show for it.  It wouldn’t be the same as the first two servants, but it would be something.

Let’s go to the beginning of the parable.  The master trusted each of the servants in accordance with their ability.  The master did not give any of them more than they could handle.  Each servant could have produced a return.

Do you think that God has given you more gift than you can handle?  The God who knew you before you were formed in the womb knew exactly what you could handle.

So why would we not use our gifts?  The answer is also in the parable.  Most of the time, fear is the culprit.  Fear is always there.  The first two servants were not pulled off course by it.  The third servant was stopped dead in his tracks.

But what is there to fear from a Spiritual Gift?

What if I fail?  What if I guessed wrongly and evangelism or leadership or service is not my gift?

Then you scratch those off your list and move on to something else.  Do you think the first two servants didn’t have setbacks?  You can’t double your money without a little risk and nobody bats a hundred for the whole season.

If you fail, then learn and move on.

Perhaps the bigger fear is the fear of success.  What if this is my gift?  What if God has gifted me to be a missionary or to preach?  I can’t stay in my comfort zone if I find out that I have the gift of evangelism.  I’m going to have to talk to people.

Before God gifted you with whatever it is that you have as a gift, he already accounted for your fears, your nature, and the obstacles that you would face.  He made your gift bigger than your obstacles.

Once we get to the book of James, you will find that those obstacles may be exactly what you need not only to grow your faith but to cause your gifts to blossom.

By all of the standard tests of the world, I am an introvert.  That means, I could spend the next two or three years by myself writing books or articles and emailing them to someone for publishing and never have to talk with anyone.

But here I am week after week and you are wondering when will he shut up?

God already factored in my nature and the obstacles that I would face in my life.  He has not short-changed you.

Put your Spiritual Gifts to work.  Produce exceptional fruit for the Lord and for the Body of Christ.

There is a Well done good and faithful servant in store for you if you will just trust that God gave you the exact gifts that you need.

Put your gifts to work and expect that one day you will hear, Come and share your Master’s happiness.

Amen.

The Baseball Glove

Imagine that you buy your son a brand new baseball glove.  It was just the one that he wanted.  He oiled it just right, wrapped  around an old baseball to where its curves and flexibility were perfect.  Then he put it on the shelf.

There that glove sits on the shelf.  Oh, it has a prominent spot, but still it sits unused.  Over the course of time the son might take it down once or twice a year and put it on, perhaps even pop it with a baseball or his fist, but sure to return it to its place.

Dad’s heart breaks.  He longed to see it used and even worn out from playing catch, digging ground balls out of the dirt, or diving for fly balls nearly out of reach, often leaving grass stains on it.  Dad would even have a little joy if the glove was only used to slap the dugout bench or the bang on the chain link fence to start a late inning rally.

But the glove sits on the shelf unused.  It was the perfect gift.  Dad knew it when he gave it to his son.  The child was excited when he received it, but save the occasional ceremonial wearing, it remains unused.  It sits on the shelf.

Not too many days ago, sanctuaries were filled with people singing, “He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!”  Many of those people won’t be seen in a church building until next Easter.  Some will drop in for Mother’s Day and a handful might come for an hour at Christmas.

Some come every Sunday truly seeking the Lord.  Some come every Sunday logging in their pew time.  And then there are those who come every Sunday, and can hardly wait for service to begin.  There are those few that wake up celebrating every day as the day the Lord has made, rejoicing and living it to the full.

It is those few who know what it is to live life to the full.  Their baseball gloves are worn and scratched and the laces have been replaced more than once.  They know the life smells of horsehide, a freshly watered infield, and can smell a new mown field from a mile away.

For some people this is struggling through tough times but keeping faith in God.  For some it is helping a stranger.  For others, it is giving beyond the tithe and knowing the joy of sacrifice.  For many, it is battling pain while keeping joy in their hearts.

For many, their baseball gloves are spiritual gifts and God-given talents.  These individual blessings long to be put to use to produce good fruit.  They cannot sit dormant.  They cannot sit on the shelf.  They beg to be put to use.

Some have truly put their gift of salvation on the shelf, breaking it out only once or twice a year.  They grace God with their presence and wonder why he is not more thankful.  Some have taken their gift of salvation and tossed it in with the other clutter of their lives.  They have forgotten that it is even there, save perhaps when they gasp at how quickly their own children are growing and they ask what it is to be saved and live for God.

And some have drifted into the apathy and ambivalence of the world forgetting the most wonderful gift the world has ever known.  Christ died to take away your sins.  When you professed your faith in him, your slate was wiped clean.  It is a done deal.  It is finished!

You are forgiven!  By his gift alone, you have been made right with God!

The question that we are called to answer each and every day of our lives is, “How will I respond to this incredible gift?”

Will we put it on the shelf, throw it in with the rest of the clutter, or just forget about it altogether?

Or…

Will we put it to use by taking this gift of life and gift of salvation and live to the fullest extent possible, seeking to bring glory to God every step of the way?

I still have feelings that I can’t explain at the smell of horsehide and freshly watered infields.  I am too old to dig balls out of the dirt or dive for them in the outfield.  Those days are gone, but I have found other ways—many other ways—to live this life and live out my salvation for God.

I can no more put that gift on the shelf than I could a new ball glove.  I have to put it to use.

What are you doing with your salvation?

Are you diving for line drives and scooping hard hit ground balls out of the dirt or does your glove sit on the shelf?

Is your salvation sitting on the shelf?