In the book of Matthew chapter 25, Jesus tells a parable about a lord and his servants. The lord gave them different amounts of money, according to their respective abilities. After a long time, he returned and judged the stewardship of his servants.
The lord commended two of them for their faithfulness. They had used their lord’s money to make him more money. But he was displeased with one servant. Why? Because that servant chose to do nothing with his lord’s money. He simply hid it in the ground. Upon the lord’s return, the servant returned him his money.
Some Churchgoers Neglect Their Gift from God
Similarly, God has blessed each of us with a gift or gifts for serving Him. Jesus taught this parable to remind us that one day He will return to assess our stewardship. So, what are you doing with your gift from God?
Sometimes, when I think about the local church, I think of all the untapped potential there. Some of the best singing voices in the church, for instance, are not in the choir. No, they occupy the pews each Sunday. Some local churches that are virtually dying from a lack of small group teachers are the home of gifted teachers who make a living teaching but won’t use that gift to serve in the church.
I am just saying that some of God’s people are like the servant in the parable who hid his lord’s money in the ground. Like that servant, they are not using what the Lord has committed to their care.
These Young Believers Had Their Gifts from God Restored
For more than a decade, on the first Friday night of each month, I volunteered to minister the Word at a local Christian discipleship ministry. It is a Christ-centered program for young adults with drug and alcohol addictions. During special times of the year—Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving—the ministry puts on special programs that are open to the public.
These special gatherings feature the participants in the program singing, acting, and playing instruments. Also, several of the program participants share testimonies. The desperate places they came from that drove them to the discipleship program are so unlike what you will hear of in your local church.
I continued to be amazed by how gifted the young men and women were who entered the program. Of course, initially, you couldn’t see their gifts because they slaves to drugs and alcohol.
But after they had been in the program for several months I would be thinking, look at all these trophies for God! The devil’s goal was to carry all of those awesome gifts from God to the pits of hell. But praise God, He redeemed them. Now they are glorifying Him through the various gifts that He has given them.
As a pastor, I am convinced that one thing the Christian church of today suffers from is a lack of involvement from many of her members. Think about the local church where you attend. What are her needs for workers? What gift has God blessed you with that will enable you to meet one or more of your church’s needs?
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.