Last week we spoke on the topic of responding to God calling for our lives. We don’t know what God has planned, but we can always be certain that Gods plans are astronomically larger than anything we could imagine. This week we are going to keep on the lines of the same subject. God calls us to task that he equips us with tools for, and it is our responsibility to sharpen these tools, constantly perfecting our skills at using them.
Matthew 25: 14 - 30
For those of you that may not be familiar with his passage, or have not had the opportunity to read it, I will briefly summarize it. Jesus is soon to be crucified, and is teaching his disciples through parables, giving them the tools they will need for leading the church. In this one particular parable a master gives to three of his servant/slaves 5 coins, 2 coins and 1 coin. The Master goes on vacation leaving no instructions for his servants on how they should use these coins, but he trusted that his servants will take care of his property. The master trust that his servants will use what he has given in the same manner as the master would have. The servant with 5 coins invest his coins and makes 5 additional coins, the servant with 2 coins made an additional 2 coins and the servant with 1 coin was in fear of loosing the coin so he buried it. The master returns home and rewards his servants who doubled their coins, and punishes the servant who did nothing with his 1 coin.
God gives us all gifts, talents and resources. These are all equally important and should be used to the best of our abilities to expand Gods kingdom. These gifts can be athletic ability, artistic talent, writing, teaching, stations, professional appointments, ect..
We do not have the time to give examples of every possible gift, but whatever the gift God has given they are to be used the same. We are expected to cultivated and grow our gifts to the best of our ability. Growing these gifts and using them for God is our active worship of God. If you are gift with athletic ability you are called to perfect that ability. You might bot become the next Olympian, but God might be preparing you to train the next olympian. If you’re an artist, do you practice your art daily, perfecting your minds blending of colors and steading your hand. Do you work, has God put you in a position as low as a janitor or as high as a CEO? Well, your job remains the same, you should pursue education and build your skills to do your job the best you possible could. When those of the world look at your work and praise you, you can in return give the praise to God.
Time is one of the most overlooked and taken advantage of gifts. Time moves slowly until looked upon through the lens of reflection. In the moment each second ticking away is just one of the billions we will experience in our life, and so we have lost the value of that second. When we look back and see how we have spent each second we realize that those seconds become minutes and hours, days and years. We look back and see how our time was spent. Did we waste it on selfish ambition that led to wasted time. Did we invest our time in God and his kingdom? Did we see a return on the investment God gave us to steward? 1 Corinthians 10 : 31 - 33
Is your gift to lead or serve? Have you spent these gifts serving those in need or serving those advancing the earthly kingdom of God? Do you lead those who follow you into destructive activities, set examples of laziness and unproductively?
I look back and can fill a dump truck with everything that God has given me and I wasted. I actively reflect on these and mourn the lost investments I’ve caused. These reflections serve as motivation to do better. They stand as a constant reminder to make the most of the smallest elements God gives to me. I have realized that I must first ask for God to show me all he has given me and then determine what God would do with these resources himself. These two questions help guide me so I can invest as God himself would. This guidance comes from Gods wisdom and only God can give that wisdom. We must be in active prayer for this wisdom James 1: 5 - 8, James 3 : 13 - 18. We then must go to the source of Gods wisdom and read from Gods teachings. God has already taught us to use what he has given to us, but we must study these teachings. The holy scriptures is full of Gods instructions on how we invest that which God has given us. 1 Peter 4:10 - 11, Colossians 3: 23 - 24.
Below are a few additional reflection questions that I asked myself when I studied this passage on my own.
What gifts, talents and resources has God given to me?
How have I used these?
Where in my life do I have wasted time and resources and how do I remove them?
What resources do other see in you?
What have you done to build your talents and resources to help them grow?
Have you prayed for God to grow your abilities, and teach you to use his investments wisely?
We believe at Triple Hares that every resource, financial support and individual God has placed in our care are his property and we are expected to cultivate these investments. We have answered his call to serve, and now we use Gods teachings to help guide our investments. We ask that you join us in prayer and serving. If you have gifts, talents and resources and looking for opportunities to serve and build your gifts, we encourage you to reach out. Our organization might not be where God wants to plant you, but he might use Triple Hares to help get you where you need to be planted.
God Bless
- Kyle Statham
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