14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,(K) 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.(L) 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. 18 But 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.(M) 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.(N) 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.(O) 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.(P) 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth – Matthew 25
Spiritual gifts are given to us by God to expand His name and kingdom. These gifts are a lot like the bags of gold in today’s story. Some receive many. Others only a few. Some may feel as if they have none. In either case, the parable in today’s devotion motivates us to use our gifts for God’s kingdom.
One thing I have always been good at is talking. It took me several decades to realize that my gift was not just the ability to talk but also the ability to have deep conversations with people I barely know. Makes sense considering I am a pastor, but I can’t begin to list to you all the times I felt God pushing me towards a deep conversation that I avoided. Burying our gifts is easy. Using them when the spirit leads is hard.
Something that always held me back was the doubt that God ordained that moment. Let me assure you, if you feel like God could be leading you to use your gifts he probably is. Remember that your relationship with God is similar to that of a parent. You can’t remember the days you potty trained but your mom and dad do. They remember the accidents and the mistakes. But guess what, now using the restroom is easy. Taking a step out in faith to use our gifts will feel like potty training to us. It’s easier to bury the gift deep inside. It seems so hard to do! Rest assure that God is faithful and as you faithfully use your gifts he will teach you how to do it.