“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” – I Cor. 4:2
INTRODUCTION
Talent is a natural aptitude, an inner quality that emerges effortlessly while skill is an acquired ability, learned with effort.
The word “steward” is the Greek oikonomos, “a manager or servant of a household.” A steward is not an owner. Instead, he is a manager of what belongs to another and is held responsible for carefully accounting for his stewardship.
Stewardship of talent is the management and administration of the gifts/abilities/capabilities which God has given to you. The purpose is to use it to contribute to the extension of the kingdom of God on earth. Matt. 5:14-16. I Peter 4:10-11, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT STEWARDSHIP WITH TALENT
1. Everyone at HOD has some special gift/talent. Matt. 25:14-15
Every Christian has some talent, ability and spiritual gift he or she has received from God. Everyone is gifted in some special way for some special task. And an essential part of our stewardship is to discover what our talent is (and spiritual gifts)” and then to put that talent to work “for the good of others” and so the whole “body,” the church, may grow and be built up through love
2. Every gift/talent/capability is important to the body of Christ, the church.
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Ephesians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 12:26. Your gifts should be used in service to God and humanity, both in and outside of the church for the expansion of the kingdom of God.
WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF US ABOUT THE USE OF TALENT IN STEWARDSHIP?
- God expects improvement of our talents
We have a responsibility to develop the talents we have been given. Sometimes we think we do not have many talents or that other people have been blessed with more abilities than we possess. Sometimes we do not use our talents because we are afraid that we might fail or be criticized by others. We should not hide our talents. We should use them. Then others can see our good works and glorify our Heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16
- God expects us to profit with our talents
The tragedy of the story and the focus of the parable is the man who hid his talent. From him we probably learn the most. First, the talent was not his in the first place; it was on loan. Second, Christ shows that people bury their gifts primarily out of fear. Third, the whole parable illustrates that regarding spiritual gifts, one never loses what he uses. That is a powerful lesson: if we use the gifts that God gives us, we cannot lose! The one who was punished never even tried, so God called him wicked and lazy. His passivity regarding spiritual things doomed him.
- No talent is greater or more important than another talent
Thus, one person is no better or more important than the other, though one may have a greater natural ability. God clearly shows that the greater the capacity, the greater the responsibility. But we also find that though there is equality in opportunity, there are differences in talent.
With God’s gifts, it is the same. It is not how much talent one has, but how one uses it that is important to God. It is not how many gifts God gives to a person, it is what one does with them. That is why Christ shows equality between the person with five talents and the one with two. Both increased an equal amount, 100%, and they were rewarded, as it were, equally. This is an important point in this parable.
- God rewards and judges us based on our talents
God judges according to what we have. Since He is a perfect judge, He is the only one qualified to measure whether we are using and increasing our gifts, or whether we are hiding and squandering what He made available to us.
In conclusion, what is your gift/talent and are you using it to your full stewardship potential?
The true Christian’s attitude should be to discover and maximize his or her talents for the Glory of God and be content with what he has and make the very best use of it. In the end, what God commands, and rewards is not brilliance, popularity, or cleverness, but faithfulness and obedience to Him regardless of human recognition or praise.
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1 How can specific talents best be cultivated for Stewardship?
2 How does the church benefit from talent stewardship?
3 What should I, personally, be considering more seriously about those talents entrusted to me individually?
4 What must I realize about my accountability before God for my talents?