We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive our praise from God according to our deeds. (Matthew 16:27, 1 Corinthians 3:8, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 22:12).
Inevitably, this brings us to the “Parable of Talents”. (Matthew 25:14-30).
I find Matthew Chapter 25 verses 26 to 28, and verse 30, to be interesting.
Was the guy mentioned therein a believer or not?
The Bible assures us that those who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). And God is not a liar (Numbers 23:19, Romans 4:20-21).
For that guy to be thrown into the lake of fire must mean he was not a believer.
But how to account for the fact that he was also given a talent, that is, he was gifted or blessed in some way?
Every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).
He makes the sun to rise and send rain on the evil and the good; the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
Based on the above scriptures, I interpret it to be saying that God has blessed and gifted everyone on earth, both believers and unbelievers. While the former acted wisely, the latter did not.
A good gift when used wisely will become a perfect gift. That gift will be developed and be more impactful.
Talents have also been interpreted to mean time and gifting.
The Bible also urges us to make good use of time and opportunities (Ephesians 5:16).
We are to value our blessings and gifting from God by using them wisely (Matthew 25:29).
So how do we use the blessings and gifts from God wisely?
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager provides the answer. Luke chapter 16 verses 1 to 13.
And the answer is…….
Use material resources as a way to further the work of God, which is to believe in Jesus Whom God sent. (Luke 16:9, John 6:29, 1 Corinthians 3:8).
Therefore, to be wise with the blessings and gifts of God is to win souls by leading the lost to Christ Jesus.
Be shrewd as a serpent but innocent as a dove.
The Lord Jesus is the Author of faith. A person will not be the least interested in the things of God if Jesus had not given him a measure of faith in the first place.
A person without that initial gift of faith will not accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to him (1 Corinthians 2:14).
In that light, nobody can claim credit for bringing someone to Christ. All glory redounds to the Lord Jesus.
The above is an extract from the book entitled "Her Seed".
Grab a copy of the book HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment