Sunday, May 13, 2012

Are You Putting Your Talents Down a Hole in the Ground?


By Allen White

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 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.’

 “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. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 “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.’

 “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. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 “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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

 “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? 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.

“’So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 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. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:14-30

Over the years, I’ve met a number of highly gifted people who never considered themselves “talented.” They were good at making money or good at making acquaintances; good at organizing things or people, yet their gifts were so natural to them, they didn’t realize they were gifted. They just thought they did the same things everyone else did.

None of these folks were hiding their talents. They were simply unaware of them.



For about 10 years at our church in California, I oversaw the SHAPE process. We taught a class, then interviewed each person in the class to see how they were “SHAPEd” for ministry.

We would talk about spiritual gifts (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4), heart or passion, abilities, personality and experiences. To help someone find the intersection of their gifts and passion was truly an amazing find. We launched many new ministries solely based on what our people felt gifted and called to do. It was far more than just filling holes in existing ministries.

Many churches offer programs like SHAPE, PLACE, Network or similar. If you’re not sure about where your gifts and temperament might fit in ministry, I would recommend a book by Bruce Bugbee called What You Do Best in the Body of Christ .This will take you through the gift identification process in a nutshell. If your church offers a course like the ones described above, sign up for it ASAP.

While some people are unaware of their gifts, similar to the folks in this parable, some are using what God has given them and others are not. What do you have? How could God use it for ministry?

All of us have three God-given assets: our time, our talent, and our treasure. How can we use these gifts to serve God and others?

Let me ask you a few questions: What needs in the community concern you? What are you passionate about? What are the things that just get under your skin, and like Popeye, “You can’t stanz it no more”? Maybe it’s your turn to do something about it?

Pray about this. Offer God what you have. He probably won’t send you to some other place. In fact, God wants to use you right here where you are. As you make yourself available to God, He will use you.

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