Table of Contents
The gifts that Christ gives his disciples
The Parable of the Talents that Christ grants his servants includes especially the gifts and blessings that he promised to give abundantly through His Spirit (1 Cor. 12:8-11). Not all men receive the same gifts, but to each of his servants, the Master has bestowed some particular gift.
Before he left his disciples, Christ breathed on them and told them: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Then he told them: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” This gift was received in its fullness after the Ascension. After the disciples had surrendered themselves fully to him with faith and prayer, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. Then the heavenly gifts were specially communicated to Christ’s followers.
Other talents
Not only the special gifts through the Spirit of God are presented in the Parable of the Talents. It includes all gifts and capabilities – natural or cultivated, physical or mental. All of them are to be used in the service of Christ. When we become his disciples, we surrender to him with all we are and all we possess. Then he gives us back these gifts, purified and ennobled, to use them for his honor and glory and for the well-being of our fellow men.
God has given “to every man according to his several ability” (Matt. 25:15). The talents are not distributed arbitrarily. A man who is capable of making use of five talents receives five talents. One who can make use of only two receives two. Another who can use only one talent receives one. No one should complain that he has not received more gifts, because he who has distributed the gifts to all, will be equally glorified through the good use of the entrusted gifts, whether they are few or many.
The use of talents
The talents, no matter how many or how few of them we have, must be put to use. The matter that is of great importance to us is not, “How many talents have I received?”, but it is: “What must I do with what I have received?” The development of all our energies and gifts is the first duty that we owe to God and to our neighbors. Unless one becomes more capable and more helpful every day, he is not fulfilling his purpose in life.
When we acknowledge that we believe in Christ, we make the promise to do all we can and – while working for the Master – to be as helpful as possible. With this in mind, we must develop all our abilities and gifts to the highest possible degree and do the best we can.
God has great work to do and in the future life, he will give the privilege to be closer to him to those who serve him most faithfully and fervently in this life.
God will commend the service of only those who are decisively striving for a high aim. He allots to every human agent the duty to do the best that he is able to. Of all, he requires moral perfection.
All who desire to be co-laborers together with God must strive for the perfection of every faculty of the body and the mind. Through true education, the physical, mental, and moral powers are exercised toward the discharge of duty. True education consists in training the body and the mind in the service of God.
The need for advancement
The Lord requires of all Christians to advance their deeds and abilities in all aspects. A noble character is developed by personal will through the help and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the mental faculties, we develop character. It is formed through hard, serious battles with self.
One battle after another must be fought against our inherent and cultivated tendencies to evil. We must search our hearts closely to see if there is any wrong path in us. If we find one, we must repent of it, confess it, make restitution when possible, and put it away. We must not let even one evil trait be left uncorrected.
The Parable of the Talents teaches the overcoming of character deficiencies
No one should say: I am unable to put away my character deficiencies. If one retains such an opinion to the very last, this might cause him to lose eternal life. The impossibility lies in our own will. If you do not want the victory, then you are not able to gain it. The real difficulty lies in the depravity of the unrepentant heart and in one’s unwillingness to surrender to God’s authority.
Know that you will never attain a higher aim than you set yourself. For this reason, set a high goal, and then climb up higher and higher, step by step, until we reach the top of the ladder of progress, even if this requires painful exertions and necessitates self-denial. Do not stop in the face of difficulties. Unfavorable circumstances must only lead us to the determined decision to overcome them. The overcoming of one obstacle will give us more strength and courage to go forward. Go forward with determination in the right direction, and then circumstances will be helpful to you and not hindrances.
Fight the good battle of faith
Strive earnestly, to the glory of God, to attain every noble trait of character. You must be pleasing to God in each phase of your character development. You can accomplish this. There is evidence for this in the case of Enoch who pleased God, though he was living in a perverted age. There are men like Enoch in our days too.
Stand firmly, as Daniel, the faithful statesman who did not succumb to any temptation and stood loyal to his God even in the face of death. There is One who loved you so much that he gave his own Son to die for your sins. And Jesus, who gave his life for you, said: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5.
If you have made mistakes, you can ask your heavenly Father to forgive you and give you strength to overcome them, and you can surely gain victory when you acknowledge these mistakes and count them as warning signals. This way you can disappoint the enemy and glorify your Savior.
The Parable of the talents teaches us that a character that is developed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure we can carry from this world into the future world. Those who accept the teaching of Christ in this life will take with them in the heavenly mansions a divine heritage. How important, therefore, is the development of character in this life?