“Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.”  ~ Matthew 25:22-23

Have you ever read the parable of the talents and wondered if you were a good steward of the gifts God has placed inside of you? Not what he placed inside of your husband or wife, not what he placed inside of your children, but what God has uniquely placed inside of you?

I have! I’m sure most of us have.This should be prayerful thinking that we all consider from time to time.Not from fear of letting God down but from a heart desiring to steward well the gifts He has given us.

If you read this parable in Matthew long enough, you’ll soon discover that having the greatest number of talents wasn’t what pleased God the most. If that were so, the man who produced only two talents compared to the man who produced five may have been reprimanded instead of commended. When it comes to our gifts, God is simply looking for us to be proactive!

Are you being proactive with the talents God has gifted you with?  

Are you purposely expanding the skills He has placed inside of you? Are you stewarding your gifts well by growing and utilizing them to be an expression of God to this world? You see, our God given gifts are always purposed to bring Him glory. Therefore, they deserve our time and attention so that we can be as fruitful as God desires us to be.

Did you know that a large majority of projects completed at the Myan orphanage were done so through people using their own personal skills and talents to make a difference in the lives of our children?  I love that!!!

Some could be wondering, “What am I gifted by God to do?” That’s a great question and easier to answer than you probably realize! I’m reading a short inspirational book right now about gaining vision for your life. I came across a great passage regarding how to unveil your personal gifts. Allow me to share:

The things you are NATURALLY good at are your gifts. If singing or dancing or math or music or leadership come easily to you, that’s a gift. One of the marks of a gift is to have the courage to fulfill it. If it’s easy for you to be a good dancer, or singer, or athlete, why not become a great one? (Excerpts from the book: “5…Where will you be five years from today?”)

How inspiring!

I’d like to even go a step further, do you enjoy:

• Writing?!
• Building things?!
• Hospitality?!
• Encouraging others?!

More than likely, your gifts are the very areas that you are already passionate about!  So how are you proactively going to develop them this year?  Like the old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you will plan to fail.”  The man with ten talents did not accumulate all ten overnight. No!  He gained them by first being trustworthy in a very small matter. Be faithful with what you’ve been given right now and God will add the increase.

Are you going to have the courage to expand your gifts this year by growing in them a little each day? I hope so!  And so does God!

Mandy Reiszner