GET THIS STRAIGHT

Sunday: November 15, 2020

Reference text: Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew  25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

In today’s parable, we are told is the master gave his servants ‘talents’ before setting off. While this may be a literal meaning, the very fact that those talents could be multiplied meant what he gave them were ‘SEEDS”. It is even more interesting because all we know is ‘the servants went to do business’. As to the kind of business, scripture isn’t explicit but one thing we do know is that the seeds were planted in appropriate soil because they multiplied.

Therefore, since seeds are planted in the ground, one would have also expected the final servant whose seed was physically planted in the ground to also reap returns, but as we realise; nothing of that sort happened. Hence the inference- ‘viable seeds alone are not enough to guarantee a harvest’. Just like in the parable of the sower, the ground on which sowing or planting is done also matters.

The servant given one talent had a rather interesting and dare I say ‘twisted’ way of thinking: he did not plant the seed expecting multiplication, rather for preservation. That is not what seeds are meant for once planted! So from the onset, no provision was made for this seed to have any chance of growing. Its potential was capped right from the start.

Beloved, let’s get this straight – God is not interested in how well you do in comparison to others! Otherwise why would He make you unique? Rather His interest lies in how well you do in comparison to what you are truly capable of doing. That is the part many of us miss. Surely there are standards of measure and variants of success, however, you need not measure the size of ours against that of others and forgetting entirely that every man is gifted ‘according to his own ability’.

Remember # your talents are proportional to your ability and your main competition is none other but YOU.

#sly