Take therefore the talent
from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that
hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth
(Matthew 25:28-30).
A wise man once told me that his prayer is that
God does not take him until he's maximized his potential here on earth. Every human
being has the God-given potential to maximize his or her talent. God expects
each of us to use our talents to edify others. And when we become Believers, He
expects us to maximize our talents to further His Kingdom by bringing other
people to Jesus. Some of us have multiple talents. Jesus expects us to refine
and develop our talents. When we put our talents to good use, God will increase
our talents. If you have yet to discover your talent is, ask God what you were
born to do – your purpose in life. Consider the things people told you you were
good at while growing up; things that come naturally to you; maybe they were
challenging for others, but you enjoy doing them with ease. What would you
enjoy doing for the rest of your life if money was not a factor? What are you
passionate about? For those pursuing your talents as a career, expect God to
add new skills to the ones you already have. For example, you excel at teaching
others. You have been in the field of teaching for several years or more. You
continue to seek professional development training to further your craft, so
God blesses you with the gift of administration. Your supervisor sees your
potential and appoints you to be the chairperson to develop a program to train
new teachers. During your tenure as an educator, you have the opportunity to
counsel many students about life problems, show them love, compassion, and
kindness, be an example of Christ.
Suppose you have been pursuing a career as a
salesperson, and you are continuing to struggle with no improvements. You have
wondered why your colleagues with the same expertise, education, and skill set surpass
you. In that case, this could be that God did not give you the gift of a
salesperson. Fret not. Ask God what it is that you were born to do. The quicker
you seek out what God has equipped you to do and how you can apply it to His
kingdom, the happier you will be.
If you don’t put your talents to good use, God
will take them away from you and give them to another person investing their
talent. Sitting idle and watching life go by or watching others be successful
is not an option. Start with what you have, where you are, then God will give
the increase. He’ll send the finances, the people, and the expertise you need
to go further.
XOXO,
Jay
