Are You Using Your Talents Profitably?

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.” — Matthew 25:14

How are you using what the Lord has given you? Have you invested your talents or are you hiding them? How can we apply the parable of the talents to our business?

In Matthew 25:14-30, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ compares the kingdom of heaven with a man who gave his servants goods to maintain while he traveled to a faraway land. The master represents our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the servants represent us. The goods represent the time, talent and treasures God has given each of us according to our individual abilities. Ability is the power and strength granted to you by God that enables you to use these things for His glory.

As the story progresses, the one with the five talents trades his talents and gains five more. The servant with the two talents trades his talents and gains two more. However, the servant with the one talent buries his talent under the ground. Upon His return, the master inquires about what the servants have done with the talents He gave them. The first servant reports, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. (Matthew 25:20). The second servant reports, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. (Matthew 25:22). To these two servants, the master says “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” (Matthew 25:23).

The third servant with one talent reports, “Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.” (Matthew 25:24- 25). The master responds by saying, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath” (Matthew 25:26-29). The master then casts the unprofitable servant into outer darkness.

Just like the three servants in the story, your master, the Lord Jesus Christ, has given you talents. These talents are in the form of time, talent and treasures. Have you identified your talents? Have you been using them profitably? Similar to the story of the talents, the Lord Jesus Christ will be coming back to ask you what you have done with your time, talent and treasures. What will you tell Him?

My prayer for you today is that you will invest what the Lord has given you so that when you meet him face to face He can say “Well done.”