Biblical Success - Running Our Race With Our Helper's Giftsنموونە

Each of us is designed and equipped to be sent to earth with a unique blend of natural and spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, intellectual capacity, education, and location at a specific time in history. These combine with our individual environment, education, and location to comprise the unique "context of opportunity” we are given to participate with God in His exquisite eternal plan for redeeming and reclaiming the earth from the effects of the original sin. In the big picture, this is why we are left on earth after our salvation. It’s our life’s highest privilege.

Let’s look at two of the parables that Jesus taught from a different perspective. And let’s consider that they may refer more to how we utilize the potential of the Helper’s gifts and guidance in our “context of opportunity” than in how we use money and other physical resources we are given. It is stirring. We will use the parables of The Talents (Matthew 25:14-29) and The Minas in Luke. (19:11-27)

Parables often use one element to describe another. Consider these examples from this perspective. They both refer to a “Master” who has gone away but will return. In both cases, the Master gives resources to his servants to use while He is away and tells them to use them while he is gone. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his Lord’s money.” Matthew 25:14-16

“Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise, he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’” Luke 19:12-13, 15-19

In both parables, the Master returns and asks for an accounting of how well his resources have been used. Think of the resources as though they refer to those gifts etc. we have been given in our eternal “context of opportunity.” The Talent story represents the difference in the amount of resources we are given to work with in building the Kingdom. Some receive more and some fewer. But, at His return, the Master’s pleasure is equal in each as they doubled what they had been given. Our Master wants to see an increase but He doesn’t compare us with others.

The Mina represents the equal opportunity we each have to use the resources we are given within our “Context of opportunity.” In this case, the Master’s response expressed greater pleasure in the 10-fold return than in the 5-fold. The gifts are given to us to be used to the fullest extent and to be fruitful in our use. Let’s chew on this overnight and go a bit deeper tomorrow.