"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them..."
Read Matt. 25:14-29
If you were an angel investor and sowed thousands of dollars into a company start up, what would you expect in return? What if you put your money into the stock market or into a mutual fund? Ultimately, we all would be looking for some sort of return on our investment. We want to get more back than what we put it. All of us would want to see some profit.
The parable of the talents is a great story describing our faith relationship. A relationship where God is the investor and we are His top investment. We can learn a great deal from this passage in the book of Matthew. Here are a few thoughts that jumped out at me as I meditated on this story...
1. God has invested a great amount of His goods into us.
We're told that three servants were given various amounts of "talents". A talent in those days was equal to six thousand denarii. A denarius represented the day's wage for a typical working man. Before, I used to think that the man given only one talent wasn't really given much to work with. In reality, even one talent was worth a great amount of money.
God has invested a great deal into you (spiritual gift(s), strength, networks, location, resources, money, unique skills, etc.). This is one of the most pivotal revelations that will propel you in impacting culture. Don't believe the lie that you were not given enough. Remember that one talent is as good as 6000 denarii.
2. God EXPECTS a profit.
God is loving but He is still in the business of making a profit. In the parable, the lazy servant buried his talent in the ground and returned his master's investment with no profit. The issue here is that the master expected a return. In fact, he told the servant that he should have at least given the talent to the bankers so he could collect a small amount of interest.
God is no different than the master in this parable. Don't bury the great investment you've been given. Live with a goal of making a "profit" in the form of good works, fruits of the Spirit, Godly influence, and changed lives.
3. God wants us to be wise stewards of his investment.
Life is about learning how to manage what we've been given in the most profitable fashion. We can produce various levels of profit depending on how we decide to manage God's investment. For those that want to achieve the most for God, don't settle for meeting minimum expectations. Stretch yourself and be diligent in becoming a wise steward of your "talents". Are you maximizing your God given investment?
As we enter 2009, lets focus on becoming fruitful and productive. We've been called to be profitable.
Tips for becoming profitable in 2009:
- Spend time taking note of what you've been given. Make a list if you can. Specify your gifts, special skills, resources, etc. Even your home and car are investments.
- Be truthful to yourself and identify where your "portfolio" isn't doing too well. Are you lacking in love? Patience? Kindness? Ask the God of grace to help you pull your numbers back up!
- Pray and ask yourself how you can use what you've been given to influence culture and individuals. Don't be afraid to think big and set stretch goals. Dare to move out of your comfort zone.
- Take risks with what you've been given. I took the risk of doing hip hop music even when people did not understand it. Seven years later, my group is nominated for a Stellar Award and thousands are influenced by our music. To God be the glory!
Just remember that your salvation is not defined by your works but your works are the beautiful outward description of your salvation. God is good!
Pop the Culture,
Bejoy
