“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
I’ve heard the parable of the talents many times. I’ve never really understood it, just thought it was another story about tithing. I also really didn’t like the parable because I always thought the man with one talent got the short end of the stick. If I was scared of my master, I would be sure to hang on to the money he gave me as well! It wasn’t until these past couple of months that I truly grasped the concept that Jesus was trying to tell us.
I suck at discipline. I’m a recently graduated music major who has never really been consistent at the whole “practice” thing. When I read the Bible all the way through, I was mostly good at reading it every night. However, after I finished years ago, I’ve never been able to keep a consistent quiet time.
It’s not that I don’t understand these things are important. I know that if I don’t practice, then my “chops” will atrophy and it will take weeks of consistent practice to get them back up to par. I know that if I don’t make time for the Lord in my life, my relationship with Him won’t grow the way it needs to.
I also have not been pressing into another gift that the Lord has given me: the gift of languages. I love languages. I love connecting them with each other. Somehow my ear can mostly pick up the nuances of a language so I can understand the differences and pick up the accent. However, I’ve not been taking the time to invest in this gift. I’ve been scared to speak what I do know to native speakers.
During one of our prayer sessions last month (Team Zoa spent 45 minutes in prayer nearly every day together), God revealed to me that if I don’t press into my gifts and invest time building them, how can He trust me with more gifts? He then brought the parable of talents to my mind and I finally understood what Jesus was trying to convey to us. Chuck Smith says in one of his sermons, “Talents here is not the ability to sing, or play some instrument.” It may not be the immediate meaning of the word, but it was definitely what Jesus was really talking about. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s the same word (NERD ALERT: as I was writing the blog, I got curious and looked up the origins of the word talent and the word was expanded to mean ability BECAUSE of the parable of talents… so no it’s not a coincidence.. 
).
Have you been taking time to invest in your gifts? Is there a way you could press in more to what God has given you?
Oh and shout out to my new teammate, Kim Grady, who introduced me to Blue Letter Bible where I found the Chuck Smith commentary/sermon.
Stay tuned for a blog on team changes!!
