Through the Parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30, God reveals to us that He is a Creator Who has never stopped creating. The exciting aspect in this revelation is that now He has called us to become co-creators with Him.
God expects the creative ability He has implanted within you and me to be invested in order to multiply it. We cannot be like the slothful servant who hid his talent in the ground. It must not be allowed to lie dormant. It is to be invested into this world by imparting it to the lives of others.
Two of the servants in the Parable of the talents, invested the talents that were given to them and made a profit for their master. It must be kept in mind that the talents referred to here do not correspond to present-day usage of the term. A talent was not a personality trait or ability, but rather a sum of money. A talent of silver was worth about $1,000.
When the land owner handed over his property to each of these servants it was not just for safekeeping. Instead, he intended for each servant to increase the property he had been given in the interest of their master.
For a believer, this talent specifically represents the abundant life that God has given us—His nature, ability, and supernatural power that reside within us. Yet, at the same time, it must be understood that all that a person has, his time, money, energy, and skills, are also entrusted to him by God to use to further the kingdom of God.
The two faithful servants were diligent to take their master’s goods and invest them to increase their master’s possessions. The master considered these two faithful servant’s labor, devotion, and faithfulness to be equal. What’s more, both servants were given the same approval and the exact same reward even though they were entrusted with different amounts. Acts 10:34 tells us that God is no respecter of persons. We see this truth exhibited here in the Parable of the talents.
Faithful servants will discover the key to abundant, successful, joyful living: “Invest whatever you have been given.”
When we invest in the lives of others that which God has entrusted and imparted to us, His nature, ability, and supernatural power, then we will find the source of joy. We may feel that what has been entrusted to us is a small share of God’s “talent,” but when we faithfully invest what He has given us, it will never go unnoticed by the Master. He will consider our labor, devotion, and faithfulness to be equal to those who have been entrusted with a greater amount. We will receive the same approval and the same reward as long as we are faithful.
God’s goal is to further the kingdom. When we apply every resource available to us to accomplish the goal God has set before us, our diligence will result in reward. Let’s invest something from that which we have been given today!
