Stop Waiting for More: What the Parable of the Talents Teaches Us About Faithfulness
One of the easiest ways to waste your life is to spend it wishing you had someone else's.
Jesus told a parable that cuts right through that temptation and challenges us to ask a harder question: what are you doing with what God has already given you?
Jesus told a parable that cuts right through that temptation and challenges us to ask a harder question: what are you doing with what God has already given you?
What Is the Parable of the Talents About?
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusts His wealth to three servants before going on a journey. He gives one servant five talents, another two, and another one, each according to his ability.
Two of the servants go out and double what they were given. The third buries his in the ground out of fear. When the master returns, the first two are celebrated. The third is rebuked.
The story ends well for two and not for one. And the reason why matters deeply for how we live our lives.
Two of the servants go out and double what they were given. The third buries his in the ground out of fear. When the master returns, the first two are celebrated. The third is rebuked.
The story ends well for two and not for one. And the reason why matters deeply for how we live our lives.
Why Do We Keep Comparing What We've Been Given?
It is tempting to read this parable and feel sorry for the servant who only received one talent. But consider what a talent actually was. In the original Greek, a talent represented roughly 20 years of wages. One talent was not a small thing. It was an enormous investment.
If someone walked up to you today and said, "I believe in you so much that I'm handing you 20 years of your salary to go invest," you would not feel shortchanged. You would feel trusted.
Yet we do this constantly. We look at what others have and think, "If I only had their platform, their influence, their gifts, their opportunities, then I could really do something." We compare what we received instead of being faithful with it.
The parable makes something clear: the differences in what each servant received were intentional. The master knew his servants. He gave each one what they could handle. God does the same with us.
If someone walked up to you today and said, "I believe in you so much that I'm handing you 20 years of your salary to go invest," you would not feel shortchanged. You would feel trusted.
Yet we do this constantly. We look at what others have and think, "If I only had their platform, their influence, their gifts, their opportunities, then I could really do something." We compare what we received instead of being faithful with it.
The parable makes something clear: the differences in what each servant received were intentional. The master knew his servants. He gave each one what they could handle. God does the same with us.
Does God Promise Everyone the Same Gifts or Opportunities?
No. And that is actually good news.
The New Testament describes the church as a body made of many different parts. Some are eyes, some are hands, some are feet. They are not all the same, and that is what makes the body work. A foot cannot say, "I am not a hand, so I am useless." An eye cannot say, "I am not a mouth, so I have no purpose."
God's kingdom needs every one of us. You have been gifted in specific ways that are unique to you. Your responsibility is not to carry out someone else's assignment. You do not need someone else's gifts to be faithful with your own.
Comparison does not motivate us. It makes us resent what God has given us.
The New Testament describes the church as a body made of many different parts. Some are eyes, some are hands, some are feet. They are not all the same, and that is what makes the body work. A foot cannot say, "I am not a hand, so I am useless." An eye cannot say, "I am not a mouth, so I have no purpose."
God's kingdom needs every one of us. You have been gifted in specific ways that are unique to you. Your responsibility is not to carry out someone else's assignment. You do not need someone else's gifts to be faithful with your own.
Comparison does not motivate us. It makes us resent what God has given us.
Why Do We Bury the Gifts God Has Given Us?
The third servant does not bury his talent because he is lazy in the way we typically think of laziness. He buries it because he is afraid. Afraid of risk. Afraid of failure. Afraid that if he tries and loses, he will have nothing to show for it.
So he plays it safe. He digs a hole, hides the talent, and plans to hand it back exactly as he received it. No risk. No loss. No failure.
But also no faithfulness.
We do this more than we realize. We bury conversations we know we should have because we are afraid of how they might go. We bury generosity because we are afraid of what we might lose. We bury our gifts because we are afraid of what people might think if we step out and fall flat.
We even dress fear up as wisdom. We tell ourselves we are being careful, being smart, not wanting to offend anyone. But in doing so, we never actually move.
Faithfulness does not look like avoiding risk. It looks like stepping out and trusting God even when you might fail.
So he plays it safe. He digs a hole, hides the talent, and plans to hand it back exactly as he received it. No risk. No loss. No failure.
But also no faithfulness.
We do this more than we realize. We bury conversations we know we should have because we are afraid of how they might go. We bury generosity because we are afraid of what we might lose. We bury our gifts because we are afraid of what people might think if we step out and fall flat.
We even dress fear up as wisdom. We tell ourselves we are being careful, being smart, not wanting to offend anyone. But in doing so, we never actually move.
Faithfulness does not look like avoiding risk. It looks like stepping out and trusting God even when you might fail.
What Happens When We Wait for God to Give Us More Before We Act?
Many of us are waiting. Waiting for more influence before we use the influence we have. Waiting for more responsibility before we take seriously the responsibility already in our hands. Waiting for God to use us for bigger things while doing nothing with the things He has already given us.
Here is the hard truth: God cannot multiply what we keep burying. He cannot use what we stuff down and hide away.
The question is not, "What would I do if I had more?" The question is, "What am I doing with what I already have?"
Here is the hard truth: God cannot multiply what we keep burying. He cannot use what we stuff down and hide away.
The question is not, "What would I do if I had more?" The question is, "What am I doing with what I already have?"
What Does It Mean to Be Faithful With What God Has Given You?
When the master returns, he does not compare the servants to each other. The servant who doubled five talents and the servant who doubled two talents receive the exact same response:
"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." - Matthew 25:21
Five talents. Two talents. Same praise. Same reward.
God is not measuring the amount you produce. He is measuring your faithfulness with what He has already placed in your hands. The servant with two talents was not a failure because he did not produce as much as the servant with five. He was just as faithful and just as rewarded.
Success is not having the most talent, the most influence, or the biggest platform. It is being faithful with what God has put in your hands.
How We View God Changes How We Live
There is a striking difference between how the first two servants and the third servant viewed their master. The first two saw him as someone worth investing for, someone who would reward their faithfulness. They went out with confidence and purpose.
The third saw him as harsh and demanding. And that view shaped everything. He lived his entire life out of fear rather than faith.
How you see God will determine how you live. If you see Him as a hard master waiting to catch you failing, you will bury everything He has given you. If you see Him as a good Father who has invested in you and wants to see you flourish, you will step out in faith.
"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." - Matthew 25:21
Five talents. Two talents. Same praise. Same reward.
God is not measuring the amount you produce. He is measuring your faithfulness with what He has already placed in your hands. The servant with two talents was not a failure because he did not produce as much as the servant with five. He was just as faithful and just as rewarded.
Success is not having the most talent, the most influence, or the biggest platform. It is being faithful with what God has put in your hands.
How We View God Changes How We Live
There is a striking difference between how the first two servants and the third servant viewed their master. The first two saw him as someone worth investing for, someone who would reward their faithfulness. They went out with confidence and purpose.
The third saw him as harsh and demanding. And that view shaped everything. He lived his entire life out of fear rather than faith.
How you see God will determine how you live. If you see Him as a hard master waiting to catch you failing, you will bury everything He has given you. If you see Him as a good Father who has invested in you and wants to see you flourish, you will step out in faith.
What Will God Ask You When You Stand Before Him?
According to Jesus, a day is coming when every one of us will give an account. The master in this parable returns after a long time, which is to say, after a lifetime. And when he does, the question is not how much you produced compared to the person next to you.
The question is: what did you do with what I gave you?
Not what did they do. Not how did you compare. What did you do with the life, the gifts, the relationships, the opportunities, and the time that I entrusted specifically to you?
The question is: what did you do with what I gave you?
Not what did they do. Not how did you compare. What did you do with the life, the gifts, the relationships, the opportunities, and the time that I entrusted specifically to you?
Life Application
This week, stop waiting for more and choose to be faithful with what God has already given you. That might mean having a conversation you have been avoiding. It might mean using a gift you have been sitting on. It might mean showing up somewhere, giving something, or saying something you have been too afraid to do.
Take a few minutes this week to honestly answer these three questions:
- What has God entrusted to you, whether that is time, relationships, financial resources, skills, or influence, and are you actually using it for Him?
- What have you been burying out of fear, and what would it look like to take one small step of faithfulness with it this week?
- Do you see God as a good Father worth investing your life for, or as a harsh judge you are trying to avoid disappointing? How is that view shaping the way you live?
The goal is not to do more than everyone around you.
The goal is to stand before God one day and hear the words: well done, good and faithful servant. That starts today, with what He has already placed in your hands.
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My family tells me that I can clean up anything and make it look brand new again. Thank you I say! I got elbow grease, Bar Keepers Friend and lots of time, my secret weapons. This time of year BBQ's are my thing. I like to think God gave me the gift of finding messes and the talent to help them shine again. Providing a listening ear, encouragement, friendship and a lot of cleaning during it. This spring I helped my neighbor after she lost her husband of 51 years. We cleaned out the smells of a life gone by. We talked about the next chapter alone. We even committed to encourage each other to walk again every morning because now we have the time. If I am honest, I am older now and I don't love the unknown anymore,so this can be scary. Because I prefer to pack weeks before I travel, I do the dishes right after a meal and I don't go to sleep with a dirty kitchen. My adult kids have some acronyms for this, and it's taken some time to see this A-type personality as a gift. But now I don't bury it or hide it away, I use it to glorify Him! I rest on knowing he gave me purpose to offer the hope of Jesus in a really dirty, chaotic and messy world. To build HIS kingdom. He's the boss. I am the servant and I want to step out on assignment. I still struggle to discern when it's useful to be used and when it's not, but I try. Does that make sense? "I water you, you water me; we grow together." Brandon Nembhard
Just want to throw out this euphoric wave of spiritual gratitude after church in the park last Sunday-Such admiration & veneration, overwhelmingly alive to be with everyone together, so sacred, so rare. What a day! Sharing goes like this for me: It's that sweaty, dripping, hot, worn out feeling at the end of a sports game or race that confirms what you already know. You gave it everything and what a glorious feeling.... (left nothing on the track, field, court, road) This analogy resonates with the gifts/talents God gives. It's uncomfortable, awkward, hard. John Buyan called believing "sweating work". He also quoted, "You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." Do you get that sweaty nervousness too when you've been given a job but have no clue on how it's going to go down? I find myself praying frantically right up to the moment the holy spirit nudges........ (go now, speak, ask, sit with them, show up, wait) I have face planted sooooo many times on timing, words, & ohhhh that....awkward silence. But that's not the stuff long after the moment that fills the cup. Instead, it's the glorious feeling of knowing you risked & walked in obedience for and with Jesus. Confession, I chase the sun rises most mornings- The quiet soft light pouring over the mountains, no cars, smells of a new day. Tired but worth it. So today, 12 hours ago I get pinned at the pilot butte crosswalk with this person sitting on his back pack with his hands on his head, and he's crying. It's early, he looks tired, like it's been a hard night. I am not awake fully and my dosle dog lays down for a quick breath on the guys feet, he pets him. Good morning, are you ok? No, I lost my dog last night and I miss him and his warmth. I'm two minutes in & already sweating and I get sweatier just standing there.... Out of a sense of altruism, I wait but honestly desire to bury this feeling and just keep running. Barely daylight (then the nudge),I can feel in my heart/mind what Jesus is asking. Uggghhhh... I'm really uncomfortable, nervous & scared, but I ask. Can I give you a hug, friend? With tears he stands up politely saying, I love your dog, there's hope to find his pup, I like your legs, have a good run and we hug. Crazy? What just happened? I am crying writing this... Can you help me understand Exegesis? (bible's original intent & application of God's word to our lives without distorting the meaning? Proverbs 27:19 It is your own face that you see reflected in the water and it is your own self that you see in your heart. (It just seems to summerize what happened and yeahhhh....)
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nThis! Step (What did you do with what I gave you? Showing up somewhere and doing something, taking an opportunity, taking a risk on something/someone when nudged. Doing the thing). Uggghhhh....risking, obeying the Good Father, honoring the necessary heart work....
Dear Abby! Got some very sweet memories sitting on Grandma's front porch swing while she would read aloud that old advice colum from the newspaper in the afternoon and we would laugh....ohhh, the slow afternoonsreading the comics & listening to advice from Grandma & Dear Abby, far beyond my years but now it hits. Artist: Hillsongunited: Oceans ( Where Feet May Fail) The Live -Your grace abounds in deepest waters, your soverign hand will be my guide-take me DEEPER than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my saviour- SPIRIT lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me..... Highly recommend the weekly Devo Study Beyond Sunday. Life giving depth and detail into the message. It's sooooo succicent to searching, finding & understanding MORE depth and soul work. Gotta try it, NH Leadership nailed this one for the peeps who want more :)
I love you Lord, your mercy never fails me
nAll my days I have been held in your hand
nFrom the moment that I wake up until I lay my head.. I will sing of the goodness of God-Your goodness is running after me-
nWith my life lay down and I am surrendered now- I give you everything
nWith every breath that I am able, oh will sing of the goodness of God
nJen Johnson @Bethal Music (Goodness of God)
Dear Abby! Got some very sweet memories sitting on Grandma's front porch swing while she would read aloud that old advice colum from the newspaper in the afternoon and we would laugh....ohhh, the slow afternoonsreading the comics & listening to advice from Grandma & Dear Abby, far beyond my years but now it hits. Artist: Hillsongunited: Oceans ( Where Feet May Fail) The Live -Your grace abounds in deepest waters, your soverign hand will be my guide-take me DEEPER than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my saviour- SPIRIT lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me..... Highly recommend the weekly Devo Study Beyond Sunday. Life giving depth and detail into the message. It's sooooo succicent to searching, finding & understanding MORE depth and soul work. Gotta try it, NH Leadership nailed this one for the peeps who want more :)