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Have you ever thought about why we can’t be good at EVERYTHING? I understand that it sounds like an arrogant question, almost like we have the right to be talented. Maybe it’s just me who enjoys contemplating why things are the way they are in our lives. Obviously, some people are more talented than others, and you may even know people who seem to be good at everything. Yet, even those people have weaknesses.

To me, the fact that no single person is good at everything is the best indicator that our talents are not left to chance. If you think about it, the law of averages would suggest that, with the billions of people alive on earth today and the many more billions that have lived or will live at some point, somebody somewhere would be good at everything! But then again, that would be according to the law of averages. We serve a God that does not operate according to the laws of science and nature, because he created those things. Our God operates according to the truth of Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”. Guess what that means, friends? It means that every talent that has ever been exhibited by any human being belongs to God!

We ought to remain humble about the talents God has given us because of the realization that they come from him and can be taken away at any moment. While we may not be able to find anyone else whose talent compares to ours in a given area of life, the reality that God owns it all should keep us grounded. Did you ever think about that? God is better at basketball than Lebron James. He’s a better golfer than Tiger Woods. He’s a better singer and musician than the Beatles. He’s a better preacher than me (okay, that one was kind of obvious). The point is that all of these talents belong to him and he has given them to certain individuals for the purpose of bringing him glory and multiplying his kingdom on earth. Whether the individuals succeed in that purpose or not does not change the fact that it was God’s intention for those talents.

If we choose to take what God has given us and hide it or hoard it for ourselves, we should be mindful of the consequences. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells what we now know as “The Parable of the Talents”. Back in Jesus’ time, the word “talent” referred to an actual monetary unit that would be worth over a thousand dollars in our currency today, according to William D. Mounce. It’s interesting, however, that everything Jesus says in those verses about the monetary “talents” also applies to every other kind of talent God has given us. It also applies to the gift of the gospel that we have received. In the story, the master rewards the two servants who took what he had given them and used it to multiply his investments. In contrast, he punishes the “wicked and lazy” servant who digs a hole and hides his talent out of fear that he will lose it. The lesson for those of us who have received the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as anyone else who recognizes the talent God has given him, is that using them to serve God and bless others is not something that is optional. It’s the ONLY option we have because failing to do so means we will lose what we already have and will not be rewarded with anything else. The parable even suggests that eternal separation from God awaits the one who selfishly hoards his gift! (v. 30)

Friends, I hope you’ll allow what is written here to be an encouragement to you and a wakeup call at the same time. It’s a wakeup call because so many of us have talents and gifts that we have been too afraid to share with others because of the risk involved, and the potential consequences are very real. However, the encouragement is that realizing that we are the servants and that God is the master who owns the talents removes the pressure from us. If we simply let what he has given us shine for all to see, he’ll take care of everything else. “Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making” (Proverbs 16:11). God has gifted each and every one of you according to what he has in HIS bag that was designed specifically for you. I challenge you to share HIS talents with others through your life, so that both you and others will be even more blessed!