Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Baylor offers the StrengthsFinder assessment to incoming freshman. It's a test that helps to identify an individual's areas of talent. In leadership class, we focused a lot on our strengths. It's made me start to wonder about how I am using my God-given abilities to serve God. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells The Parable of the Talents. It is the story of a man with three servants. The man is leaving on a journey and decides to divide his land up among the three servants, "each according to his ability". The first man receives 5 talents (In NT times, a 'talent' was worth about 20 years' wages for a laborer...so it's a pretty big deal). The servant then traded his 5 talents and made 5 more talents...so a total of 10 talents. The second servant received 2 talents, traded with them, and received a total of 4 talents. The servant who receives one talent "dug in the ground and hid his master's money". When the master returns, he sees that the men who received five and two talents have doubled their portion. To them the master says

"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"-Matthew 25:21

The servant who received one talent tells his master that he was afraid and hid the talent in the ground. The master is upset and says "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" (verse 27). God has given all of us special gifts! Are we like the first two servants, who doubled their portion that way they could give even more back to their master? Or are we like the third servant, who fears risk and has a misperception of his master? Using our God-given strengths wisely and efficiently is key to discipleship. The first two servants displayed faithfulness in how they used their gifts and potential. How awesome would it be to stand before God and hear him say Well done, good and faithful servant. When we use our strengths and passions to bring praise and glory to God, we will have joy in knowing that we are serving our Creator.

"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"-Matthew 25:29.

Faithfulness is rewarded with more opportunities to serve God! When I think about what makes me 'come alive' or what makes me really feel like I'm furthering God's kingdom, that's what I should be doing. My talents and interests all belong to God, and I couldn't think of a better master to serve. I want to use up all of my abilities and always try my hardest to reach my potential with the gifts the God has graciously given me.