Matthew 25:14-30 (King James Version)
14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Of course growing up those of us who read this saw that it spoke of good stewardship over money. I submit to you that this is not just about money but good stewardship period.
What is stewardship?
Miriam Webster Defines it as
the office, duties, and obligations of a steward
2 the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care <stewardship of natural resources>
Wikipedia states Historically, stewardship was the responsibility given to household servants to bring food and drinks to a castle dining hall. The term was then expanded to indicate a household employee's responsibility for managing household or domestic affairs.[nb 1] Stewardship later became the responsibility for taking care of passengers' domestic needs on a ship, train and airplane, or managing the service provided to diners in a restaurant. The term continues to be used in these specific ways, but it is also used in a more general way to refer to a responsibility to take care of something owned by someone else. (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewardship)\Both these definitions bring out some very great points, being trusted with something that belongs to somebody else.
As Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ. Meaning that we are to occupy and and function in the earth as citizens of Heaven and representatives of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and we have been entrusted with some things while we live here. The one I would like to touch on today is the ability God entrusted us with to make a living, relate to people and be a blessing, otherwise known as our gifts and talents.
The Growing passion to do and be certain things we given to us by the Most High, however we have allowed the enemy to trick us into thinking that a) its not lucrative b) its unrealistic to live a life on these passions and c) its unattainable.
God entrusted us with these gifts so we can use it to bless the kingdom and win souls. He does not expect to bury our talents. Of course Satan would not have that we live a life pleasing God, blessing others and operating in our talens while doing it, which is why there is much opposition in it but ,as t states in John 10:10
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal , and to kill , and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
So there are actually 3 Wills trying to take control of your life; God's, Satan and your own ( which when not aligned to Gods most likely is following Satan's).
There are 3 things that keeps one from walking in the purpose God has for him; Fear, Distraction and Laziness.
Fear- which is all in all a lack of Faith. We tend to doubt that God sometimes really called us to do what is in our heart.
We fear what others say, we ask ourselves "who am I to do this when there is much more qualified people than I am." but let me let you in on a secret, some of the most qualified are the most skeptical and fearful people there are. They have the ability to do great things but they WILL NOT MOVE!!! God simply can't honor a lack of faith. Whatever success they have will only come from much toil and mental anguish and then, they normally give up, shut down and go out of business at the very first sign of opposition.Further more you are a Kings Kid!! The ambassador in a foreign country is held within high regard and all of their needs are met, as long as they are doing what they were sent there to do. Why, after all, do you think the disciples of Christ are referred to ambassadors? Don't expect ambassador pay if your not doing ambassador work.
Distraction - This is when we allow circumstances, people and just issues that don't make or break the situation distract us. Quite frankly this is a reason to stay in our comfort zone. when a seeming distracting arises we should ask our self 3 questions. 1) Does this really need my attention now? 2) will my attention and presence change the outcome of the situation? and 3)what can I do to possibly change the situation by being here?
A lot of times, what God has put in our hearts to do will benefit that lives of those we are distracted by more than just being "moral support". I have seen over and over again where there is something big happening in a family and EVERY BODY drops what they are doing for several days just to stand around and talk. There are maybe only 1 or 2 people that can actually solve the problem or make a big difference in what happens there. People take off from Jobs, abandon commitments and just shut down to do nothing but STAND AROUND!!! FOR NOTHING!!! I normally ask a person who does that," what conclusion did you guys come to?" and they normally look at me with big eyes.
Laziness- Well, what can I say? Lazy people don't get far. They want everything handed to them. They have no get up and go and no drive. They would prefer of everything was made easy for them. The issue with that is, there is a very real enemy that want you to die never having fulfilled any of the call had on your life. He would rather you not make one difference in the life of a person. He would rather you sing really nicely in your shower, draw really nicely in your journal, Do your mama's hair real nice on occasion. Are you getting the point now? Whatever the gift or talent is, that was given for you to bless the kingdom, he would rather you not operate in it. Satan is more likely to leave you alone when your doing absolutely nothing. You are not a threat and he, being passion driven, is smart enough not to waste time on unfruitful matters.
Lastly, don't think for one second your talent isn't good enough.
Romans 12:6-13 (New Living Translation)
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[a] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[b] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
1 Peter 4:10 (New Living Translation)
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:
I myself have dealt ( and is dealing) with each of these at one point of another. It is a on going battle but I encourage you today to STEP OUT!!! God is waiting to open doors you have never imagined walking through and he wants to use you to do it!.
No comments:
Post a Comment