Generous Giving of God’s Gifts to Us

What does God say in the Bible about using our gifts?

Let’s look at the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25: 24-26,30

The servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, ”Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests when you did not plant, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look!  Here is what belongs to you.” “You bad and lazy servant!” his master said. ….”throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth.”

The gospel reading from Matthew is all about risk, trust, opportunities and investment. Jesus tells us about a man who left his servants in charge of his money while he was away. He made them responsible for varying amounts. When he returned the first two servants reported they had invested the money and returned double the amount that they had been given. “Well done, good and faithful servants,” the master said… “Come on in and share my happiness”.

The servant who had been given 1000 coins was afraid that he would lose the money if he invested it. He buried it in the garden and now returned the same as he had been given. The rich man was unhappy. The servant had wasted an opportunity to use what he had been given.

So what is Jesus saying to us today?

Like the servants in the parable, he entrusts us to take care of what is precious to him. We are the chosen, saved and beloved children of God.

Our lives belong to God. He has given us life, people whom we love and people who love us.

He has given us gifts and abilities – to each of us in varying degrees. He has given us the world in which we live. The greatest gifts he has entrusted us with, are the Gospel, Holy Communion and the fellowship of believers we call “Church”.

Jesus is like the man who went away for awhile. He will return and want to know what we have done with what he has entrusted to us.

What have we done with the Gospel of forgiveness and eternal life?  Have we received, treasured it – and then buried it? He will want to know if we have used the Gospel to challenge and change the lives of people in our family, work, neighbourhood or wherever. He will want to know what we have done with our knowledge, treasures, bodies and time that we have been gifted.

What gifts has God given to me? How am I using these gifts?  What possibilities and opportunities has God given me to make a difference in someone’s life, to make an investment in their future?

Let’s look at some practical examples of how we can use our gifts.

• Have we used a smile, a kind word, a touch of reassurance to brighten someone’s day?
• Have we visited and prayed for a person in physical and emotional need such as the sick, elderly or disabled?
• Have we used our education, knowledge and experience to serve in our local and wider Church such as pastoral support, councils, committees and rosters?
• Have we used our gifts to serve our communities, charities and workplaces in a volunteering capacity?
• Have we looked after and cared for the world in which we live – the soil, the trees, water and animals by appropriate land-care, water and energy conservation and recycling efforts.
• Have we used our financial resources to assist other people in need and to support the mission and ministry of God’s Church.

Or have I been like the third servant, and refused to take a risk, to get out of my comfort zone and simply hidden away what God has given to me and missed the possibilities that God has presented to me?

Jesus is not talking about the size of the return from the gifts he has given to us, but about our attitude to using our gifts and our willingness to do as God wants us to do and our eagerness to take a risk for the sake of the Kingdom.

The story of the talents is a wake-up call. Jesus is serious about how we either use or ignore the possibilities, the opportunities and the generous trust that he has placed in us to be good mangers of what he has given to us.

Used wisely and faithfully, our gifts will increase.

You are God’s chosen and saved people. He has equipped you with gifts and provides you with opportunities. In Christ, God will use our humble efforts and move mountains.

What will you do to use your gifts in the future?

Adapted by Mel Zerner, from a sermon prepared by Pastor Vince Gerhardy.