Sunday, March 13, 2011

Obedience with our Talents



We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. – Hebrews 5: 11-14


Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5


All of this obedience talk reminded me of the parable of the talents.

I know you remember that one. It is the one about the master who leaves town and gives five bags of gold to one servant, two bags of gold to a second servant, and one bag of gold to the third servant. The first servant invests the gold and doubles his profit. When the master returns he has ten bags of gold. The second servant does the same and produces four bags of gold. The third one is afraid because the master is demanding. He buries his bag of gold because he fears he might lose it if he risks using it.

Many of us are like that third servant.
We have so many wonder gifts and talents that go unused. Maybe there was a moment in your childhood where you tried to use it but you were discouraged. The kids teased you. You weren’t quite good enough at the time. Maybe you even exercised your talent in secret and never released it out to the world.

It is time for us to step up and step out. If you have a passion for something, then work hard and hone your craft. Put in the time and work necessary to master it. Share it with others so that they can provide you with the feedback to help you grow.

The worst thing we can do is act like the third servant. If we abandon our passions then they might as well be buried in the ground. In fact, they get buried in our souls. No matter how long you run from and avoid the things you are passionate about, they will not disappear. They will remain there, a burden, a heavy weight that over time will be too much to carry.

This is another way that obedience is freedom. When we release what is inside us through exercising obedient action then we are free to give and receive even more.

Give and it shall be given back to you.

We must let our passions and dreams breathe through actions. Of we hold them in for too long our souls will be left gasping for air. 

2 comments:

  1. Inspiring :). My problem is that God has planted so many areas of interest in my heart. I'm passionate about several things. And for the longest this stopped me from success because I tried to choose one or fit my many talents into one box. But God has shown me that I can do them all and they will all be used for his purpose.

    Sometimes we make it harder than it really is :).

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  2. @Lezlie yeah i feel you. I'm the same way. We cannot let our multiple interests paralyze us. We may not be able to act on every thing at once. Sometimes we have to wait for opportunities that are not under our control. It is in those times that we can shift our focus and do what actually can be done, work on what we do have control over. Waiting for one door to open allows us the opportunity to walk through another one.

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