How can we properly take care of our talents? The answer is by using them as we should. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus told of a man who took his one talent and buried it in the ground (vers. 24-25). As a result, his master called him wicked and slothful. Obviously, that is not the way to take care of our talents. No, our Master, that is, God, wants us to increase our talents because, in reality, they belong to Him. We are just stewards of them. In the physical realm, talents refer to a sum of money; thus, to increase the master’s talents is to do that which is financially rewarding to him. In our case, the talents refer to anything we have been given that we can use to the glorification of God. Maybe you have been blessed with exceptional intelligence. That is a talent. Use it to glorify God. Some have been blessed with material resources. Use them to glorify God. Others have been blessed with an exceptional ability to grasp the scriptures, or, perhaps, you have been given a unique level of kindness and understanding when it comes to people. Those are talents too. Use them to glorify God. Maybe you have been blessed with a wonderful singing voice or with remarkable leadership ability. The point is whatever you have been given by God, use that talent to His glorification.

We learn in this parable from our Lord that if we use our God-given talent(s), He will multiply them so that we can do even more than we have been doing. In other words, we will grow in Christ. Now, it is important to realize that God has given all of us talent. We may not all have the same talent, or even the same amount of talent, after all, even in the parable the master gave one five talents, to another two and to another just one. However, he gave each man at least one. And, we should know that each man got a sufficient amount to do much good. Someone might conclude that the one talent man was slighted. No, in New Testament times, a talent was equivalent to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was equivalent to a day’s labor for the common man. Thus, the man who was given one talent was entrusted with almost 17 years of labor. The problem is some do not think he was given very much because they begin by comparing what he was given with what the other men were given. That is to begin in the wrong place. Forget about the other men in the parable were given, the one talent man was given a lot. He had enough to work and do something great with if he wanted to. We should not forget this because the same is true with what God has given each one of us. I do not care if you are a one talent Christian, He has given you plenty to work with and to do great things in the kingdom of God. Are you using your talent(s) to the glorification of God? Are you maximizing your God-given abilities to further the cause of Christ here on earth? There is an old saying—use it or lose it. And, because life is so uncertain, being like a vapor that briefly appears and then vanishes away (James 4:14), it is best to start using your talents right now. The NIV says that the man with five talents “went at once” to put his talent to work. We should do the same thing. Do not procrastinate. Too often those in Christ convince themselves that they will have plenty of time to serve the Lord later. However, that kind of thinking will get you into trouble. In a blink of an eye, a wasted day turns into a wasted week. A wasted week turns into a wasted month. A wasted month turns into a wasted year, and a wasted year turns into a wasted lifetime. Before you know it, the Master has come back home, and you have not done anything with the talent that he put into your trust, and you will hear the words, “You wicked and slothful servant,” (Matthew 25:26). You will be “cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” (ver. 30). That terrible end can be avoided. Make up your mind that tomorrow, as a new day dawns, you are going to begin using your talents and let them help you grow in Christ.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.