Do Something!

One of the better-known parables in the Bible is “The Parable of the Talents.” The story is recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. A man goes on a journey and gives three servants different quantities of money – or “talents,” which was the currency of the day – to watch over while he is gone. One servant receives 5 talents, another receives 2, and the last receives 1 talent. While the man is away, the servants who received 5 and 2 talents doubled their amounts, while the servant who received 1 talent hid it in the ground out of fear. When the man returned, he praised the first two servants for using their talents wisely and multiplying their value, while he scorned the third servant for hiding his talent and, in essence, wasting the opportunity.

This is a convicting story about how God gives us different responsibilities, and our job is to use what we’ve been given, regardless of the measure, to serve God and his kingdom. As much as this parable has encouraged people over the years, there is also an implicit and stern command: Do something! Far too often, we live our lives like the third servant—holding everything back or perhaps keeping a few special things on the side. No matter the scale, this keeps us from fully and freely multiplying God’s resources for his glory. Why do we do it? It’s right there in the story with the third servant. It’s fear.

Fear is a problem for us. That’s why it’s prevalent throughout all of Scripture. In fact, there are 365 “do not fear” verses in the Bible, one for every day. This must mean that we have a different reason to be afraid every single day, which can inhibit us from living out our faith. No matter what the reasons for our fears are, the end results remain the same: lost opportunities, stagnation and poor stewardship. God has equipped each of us in unique ways to make an impact for his kingdom, but instead of sharing our talents—whether they be financial resources or natural giftings—with others, we allow fear to hijack what could have been.

God has blessed some of us with financial resources to make a significant impact for the kingdom. God has blessed others with a unique ability or personal experience that allows them to connect with and disciple a specific people group. Still for others, God has endowed distinctive skill sets that can be utilized to help share the Gospel. Yet fear creeps into our lives, making us feel paralyzed, unable to act, and ultimately leading us to bury the gifts we’ve been given. This is why, if fear is holding us back, we must overcome our paralysis and take a step forward in faith.

Do something! Embrace the measure of talent we’ve been given and do something to use it for a kingdom impact. Maybe it’s starting to volunteer, maybe it’s taking a step to further cultivate a specific skill set, maybe it’s re-examining the home budget to identify an extra capacity to give, maybe it’s selling something we don’t use and giving the money to the poor. The opportunities are endless. What happens when we step out in faith and invest our God-given resources in the kingdom? God steps in and begins doing great things we think are unimaginable!