Page 61 - The Prosperous Way _ (APRIL 2024 v3)

THE ABILITY TO CREATE WEALTH

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

At Matthew 25:15, Jesus tells His disciples this parable: The master of
three servants gave each a certain number of talents (a talent being a
particular sum of money). To one servant he gave 5 talents, to another
2 talents, and to the last 1 talent. The servant with 5 talents went out
and invested the talents, and so gained 5 more. Likewise, the servant
with 2 talents invested and doubled his talents. However, the servant
with 1 talent was afraid to take any risk, and instead of investing it, he
hid his talent in the ground. He gained nothing (except his master’s
intense displeasure!). But the master commended the other two
servants who had invested their talents: To both, he said, “Well done,
good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I
will put you in charge of many things. Come share your master’s
happiness!”

Within this parable are the following lessons regarding our own gifts
and talents. First, whatever talent God has given us, we must develop
and use to the best of our ability. Hone your talents and use your skills
in the best way you know how, so that when you come to give an
account of the abilities that God has given you, you will be commended
and rewarded.

The second lesson is that we cannot allow fear of failing to impede us
from using our talents. Just like the servant who hid the talent that he
was given, if we never try, we will never succeed. So don’t let fear of
failure stand in your way.

Finally, we learn to never compare ourselves to others, because there
will always be those who have been graced with more talents than us
in a particular area, and there will be areas in which we have been
graced with greater talents than others. In the same way, each of the
three servants received a different number of talents. However, for the
servant that was given 5, and the servant that was given 2, the master’s
commendation was—word for word—exactly the same: “Well done,
good and faithful servant.” Certainly, the servant who gained 5 more
talents produced more than the one who gained 2. But each was
equally commended by his master–Why? Because each had expended
an equal amount of effort in utilizing the talents that the master had
given.

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