Myles Munroe famously said, “The grave is full of buried talents. Don’t let fear add your God-given gifts to that number.”
What is a talent?
A talent is something that you are born with that gives you unique skills and abilities. Talent is set apart from knowledge in that it is not a learned behaviour, although it can be strengthened and practiced.
The Bible tells us that we are all born with distinct talents and gifts that set us apart from each other. When you discover the talents that God has given you and you use them to glorify Him, you will experience a full life. Our loving Lord wants us to feel whole and complete, and it is through talents that we can find our unique calling in life.
How are you using your talents?
In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells the story of the servant who buried his talent. Unlike the other servants who multiplied what they were given, this one chose fear and passivity over faith and action.
Jesus said to each of the servants who had been faithful, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” — Matthew 25:23
But to the unfaithful servant who buried his talent he said, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! …take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This parable challenges us to reflect – Are we faithfully stewarding our God-given talents?
The master entrusted different talents to the servants because he knew their personal capabilities. Likewise, God does not ask us to do what we cannot, but what we can, in His strength.
Faithfulness to Him will always lead to fruitfulness. Faithfulness is not about playing it safe but stepping out in trust and allowing God to bring forth fruit through us. Fear, while natural, must be faced and managed for talent to flourish. “Fear is the tool of a man-made devil. It is the negative side of the emotion of faith.” – Napoleon Hill
Let’s us all aspire to live boldly, act faithfully, and bear fruit abundantly in every area of our lives. Let’s trust God to guide and multiply the work of our hands!
