“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” (Matthew 25:15, ESV)
Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. In this story, a master goes on a journey. But before he goes on his journey, he entrusts his servants with “talents.” The master represents Jesus. The servants represent all the followers of Jesus. And the talents represent all that God gives us in life. It is all of life’s resources.
To give you a little background, a talent was not a currency. Rather it was a measurement. A Roman talent equaled about 70lbs. The talents were gold. So the first servant who received five talents would have received 350lbs of gold.
Let’s do the math here. The current price of gold is $1257/oz. There are 16oz in a pound. So that means there are 1120oz in 70lbs.
$1257 (the price of gold) x 1120 (ounces in 70lbs) = $1,407,840.
Did you get that? One talent was equivalent to $1.4 million. So the first servant who was entrusted with five talents would have received $7,039,200.
This is no small amount that is given. It is an outrageous amount of money. It is surprising, staggering, and shocking. Even the servant who is given one talent is given a fortune.
What is the point? This is the point: You have been given more than you ever realize. This is what I can say confidently: you underestimate what you can accomplish and do with God’s help.
Many of us might put ourselves in the category of the servant who received two talents. We all know people who have been given more than us. We also know people who have been given less than us.
Even though you have been richly blessed, it is the Devil’s ploy to convince you that because you don’t have five talents, that your two talents are worthless. You think you have nothing to offer. You think that you have nothing to contribute. You think that you might as well bury what you have. But what you fail to realize that you have $2,815,680. Don’t dismiss all that God has poured into your life!
Some of you are thinking that you don’t know what you have been given. You don’t feel as if you are rich. You don’t feel as if you are talented. You feel as if your time is spoken for and there is not enough. You question the value of your blessings. You are saying that you want to invest in the kingdom. You want to hear the words “well done good and faithful servant.” But you are not sure what you have to give.
If this is where you find yourself, pray for discernment. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what he has given you. Ask him to help you to appreciate and use what you have been given. Jesus promises that if we seek, we will find.
Ask others. Ask your spouse. Ask your friends. Ask your pastor. Ask people with whom you are acquainted. Ask them to help you discover the treasures that God has put at your disposal to make a kingdom difference in the life of others.
Finally, practice gratitude. Take a bit of time each day during your devotions to give God thanks for the things he has poured into your life. You will start to focus on the things you have rather than the things you don’t have. You will start to see the fortune which God has entrusted to you.
Reflection
- Do you ever feel as if you don’t have anything of value to contribute?
- How do you discover the treasures that God has entrusted to you for kingdom service?
- How does practicing gratitude help us become more aware of God’s presence and God’s gifts?
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