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Wednesday Bible Study/Prayer Meeting
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This evening, I want to examine Matthew 25, verses 14 to 30, which tells the parable of the talents. Let me read it with you:
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several ability. And straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two he also gained other two. But he that had received one talent went and digged in the earth and hid his lord's money.
After a long time the lord of those servants came and reckoned with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. The lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hadst not sown and gathering where thou hadst not strawed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant. Thou knowest that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I had not strawed. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
After going through Matthew 25, verses 14 to 30, I want to ask each and every one of us a simple question this evening concerning the using of the talent God has given unto us. The question is: What talent has God placed in your hands?
Brothers and sisters, to every one of us God has given talents. Have you sat back to consider the fact that there is something that God has placed in your hands? Whatever talent you have, whatever skills you possess—God is behind it. Praise the name of the Lord!
He has not blessed you with those talents or those skills just for your gain alone. It is much more than that. Praise the name of the Lord! God expects that for every talent you have and use well, there is a blessing attached. If you deposit money in the bank, the interest you receive has a relationship with the amount you put in. If you put in much, the interest reflects that.
To each and every one of us this evening, I want to believe God has deposited a talent—could be more, could be one, could be few. Whatever talent God has given to us, God expects us to make good use of it, not only for ourselves but to also bless others. Praise the name of the Lord!
What is it that God has put in your hand? Let's think about this briefly. Praise the name of the Lord!
Whatever God has given to you, He wants you to bless others with it. He wants you to also use it to build His kingdom. Praise the name of the Lord!
Let's consider the first one: the blessing God has given to us. The talent is skills for us to use it to bless others.
If we look at 1 Peter 4:10, it says:
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
In essence, whatever skills you have, whatever talents I have or we have, we should use it as much as we are using it for ourselves. We should also extend it to assist others, to bless others, so that others can gain from us. Praise the name of the Lord!
If we consider Genesis, chapter 12, verse 2, it says:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing.
Praise the name of the Lord! Much as God has promised this, He gave it unto our father Abraham, and by implication unto us. He has promised us to be great and for us to be a blessing—a blessing unto others. Praise the name of the Lord!
So my brothers and sisters, what is it that God has deposited unto you? Is it skills? Is it the ability to reach out to others? Is it to encourage others? Is it to speak to others in time of need? Is it to reach out to others even with your resources?
Whatever it is, God has blessed you so that you can also reach out to others. And in doing so, there is a reward. There is more blessing that will come your way. Praise the name of the Lord!
I'm encouraging us this evening that we should search our minds. We should also pray to God for that grace—for us to be able to use whatever skills, whatever talent God has given unto us positively, to affect others positively, to affect our community positively, to affect those around you. Praise the name of the Lord!
The same skills, the same talent God has given unto us, He has commissioned us also to use it to build His kingdom, for His glory. Praise the name of the Lord! Hallelujah!
If we go to 1 Corinthians 12, you will see that God compared the body of Christ to the human body. Each of us is unique, but together we make the body complete. Christ is the head of the body.
If we look at Ephesians 5:23, you will see God is the head of the body. So everything we do points back to God. He directs it all. Praise the name of the Lord! Hallelujah!
In essence, God wants you to use that unique role of yours in the body of God to glorify Him. Praise Master Jesus! Hallelujah!
God has given us two commandments: to love the Lord and to love others.
If we look at Matthew 22:37 to 40, Jesus said:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Praise the name of the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord!
So brothers and sisters in the Lord, I want us to examine ourselves this evening. I want us to look deep into our hearts, search our souls. What is it that God has placed in your hand? What is it that God has deposited unto you for you to use?
What is it that is placed in your hand that could be positively used to affect others? Is it your ability to speak? Is it your ability to counsel?
God is asking you. God is asking me. God is asking you this evening to give an account of what God has placed in your hand.
It is never too late for a new venture. If you've been silent over what you have and you've not been able to use it, it is never too late. You can still make an amendment. You can still ask God to give you that grace to use that skill. You can still ask God this evening to give you that grace for you to commit that skill to advantage, to affect the community positively, to affect your neighbors positively. Praise the name of the Lord!
Let us pray this evening. Father, give me the enablement. Give me the eyes for me to see through and discern what You have deposited unto me as a talent. Help me to use it well. Oh Lord, help me to show love unto others. Help me, oh Lord, to use those skills. Help me, oh Lord, for me not to be selfish with what You have given to me. Because You have blessed me, because You want me to also bless others. Father, help me.
As we are praying, something is ministering to my mind now by the Spirit of God. Not just now, but continuously, I want you to be praying. I want you to bring a particular family—a family of your choice—that you will be praying for. You will be praying for their well-being. You will be praying for their spiritual growth. You will be praying for them the same way you want God to reach out to you. Reach out to them.
You don't necessarily have to tell them. You don't necessarily have to let them know. It is within you and your God. It is an assignment between you and God. You just pick a family of your choice from now on, and you have to start praying to God: "Father, reach out to this family. Oh Lord, reach out to them."
It's an assignment that God has given unto you. And the more you do it well, it's a business between you and God. The more you do it faithfully, God will bless you. Mind you, what you do to people, people are also doing to you—though you don't even know it. People are praying for you. So cultivate that habit to pray and to reach out unto people, to be concerned about their spiritual growth, to be concerned about their well-being.
And as you do it faithfully, I am praying God will bless you. God will reach out to you in every situation of your life. God will handle it. God will open doors upon you. God will reach out to you even beyond your thought, beyond your imagination. God will reach unto each and every one of us.
May the grace of God abide with you. The grace for us to apply. The grace for us to carry out this task, this instruction. Father, grant unto every soul that is listening the grace to carry out this assignment. Thank you, Jesus. We worship and bless Your name. Hallelujah!
