(Parable of the Talents) What am I doing with what God has given Me.

How many of you have ever had something valuable?

What is something you’ve had that was/is valuable?

How many of you have made sure that you took really good care of it so that no one would harm it or damage it.

But you also wanted to make sure you showed your friends and family so they knew that you had it.

When they were looking at it, you said be careful because I don’t want to damage the gift.

When you were showing this gift did you want to make sure that the person knew how thankful you were for it and you made sure to let the people admiring know how much you VALUED the gift.

Has anyone ever read the Parable of the Talents?

¹⁴ “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants^[a] and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.¹⁹ Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.^[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹  For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In the story we hear of three men who received talents from their master.

The master makes sure to give each one of them talents based on each of their own abilities.

One man was given five, another two, another one.

Two of them were able to multiply what they had been given.

But one buried the talent and didn’t do anything with it.

How many of you often times feel like God has blessed you with a gift, but you are sometimes to scared to show it so you don’t let anyone know that are really good at the talent.

Why do you think people hide their gifts?

Today I believe God is saying to us, What are you doing with what I have given you?

How many of you are using the gifts that God has given you whether it be; singing, dancing, drawing, sports, or playing an instrument.

How are you using the gift God has given you?

Did you know that Jesus is our gift, and we are called to share him?

Just like those gifts in singing, dancing, and drawing we have to make sure that He is as important as those other things, because he matters so much more.

Now that may look really different for some of you on how you show Jesus to the world, but I truly believe that each of you have the influence to be able to show the Love of Jesus.

Our faith can be compared with the Talents that the men were given, because how many of you know that God is looking to make profit and he needs our help to accomplish that.

When we reach the world we are creating a profit for God.

Now we can either be like the two who multiplied or we can be the one who did nothing.

Which would you rather be?

Now I think we can all say that by reading this story the man with the one talent was pretty selfish because he did nothing with it. He hid it from the world.

The truly amazing thing is that when we are capable to handle what God has given us he will provide us more because he trusts us with more.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~II Peter 1:8

Now how many here would like to be considered trust worthy? I mean come on I can say that I see it as a privilege not a chore.

So today I challenge you to make sure that anytime you have the temptation to sit in front of the couch and not do anything that you get motivated and go multiply what God has given you.

Share his Love, share his promises and you shall never be disappointed.

Today ask yourself, what am I doing with what God has given me?