On Sunday I had the opportunity to share at communion time during church.
As I was pondering a passage to share, God kept bringing me back to the Parable of the Talents. I kept thinking thought that it was a strange passage to share at communion. But God reminded me that communion is a time of thankfulness. That at that time apart from thanking Father God for sending his son Jesus to die on the cross for us, that we can also take the time to thank Him for the gifts, skills and abilities that He has given and entrusted to us.
Secondly, I sensed that God is wanting to say to a number of people, “well done good and faithful servant, you have been faithful with the little and now it is time to be entrusted with the much.”
I can remember that after my wife and I spent a year in Saudi Arabia working, we came home and were very unsettled. We had seen some miraculous things happen in our life during that past year, but I still had a question mark as to whether we should have stayed on, even if it was for another six months. However about two Sunday’s after being back we had a prophet speaking in our church and he came up to me and said “Well done good and faithful servant you have accomplished that which I called you to do.” Those words brought such comfort and peace to my heart and I pray that they bring the same to yours!
Sometimes I think that we put way too much pressure on ourselves to achieve and achieve and achieve, yet God’s expectations are not as high as ours and so we carry a burden that we were not meant to carry.
At the end of this year I want to encourage you that you have done well, to hear the words of Jesus who said “well done”.
Thirdly, the Christmas/New Year period is a time of reflection, reflecting on the past and planning and moving forward for the future.
One thing that I often reflect on that is said about Mary is that she “pondered things her heart” personally I’ve felt like I’ve been doing that a lot lately, pondering things, listening to what has been said and reflecting on them.
“ponder” is a transitive verb it means to weigh in the mind : appraise <pondered their chances of success>, to think about : reflect on <pondered the events of the day>.
Take time over this Christmas/New Year period to ponder the past year, reflect on what God has been saying, the events that have been taken place and ask God to open your eyes further on what you have learned.
Finally what has often struck me about this parable of the talents is that each one was given according to his “ability”. We need to be thankful for that ability, but also to act on our abilities. It could be to that we simply have not received what we have been expecting to receive because we have lacked ability. What are you doing do increase your ability so that you can receive more?
So what ability do you have that you know that you have that up until this time you have not activated for the kingdom of God.
Take a moment and read afresh through the Parable of the Talents and allow God to “open your eyes” so that you may see some greater truth in this passage for you today!
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
