For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 25:29

In the Bible story of the talents, a master gave talents to three servants according to their abilities. And while two of those servants became highly productive with their skills, the least of the three servants produced no return with the money given him. Therefore our anchor verse explains how the kingdom of God had no space for unproductivity.

While there is a lot to learn from this story, we shall begin this study by examining what a “talent” means. What does the Bible mean when it says the word “talent”? In the times of Jesus, a talent was a unit of measurement but to make it more relatable to us today, a talent equals about 2 million dollars. So what more can we learn from this age-long parable? Read on to find out more.

Things To Learn From The Parable Of The Talents

Whenever this story is mentioned, we must not always remember the servant who failed. Looking more closely at the story, we can learn from all the good things that happened in the story.

1. Jesus Expected His Money/Talent To Grow While He Was Away

Even in God’s kingdom, productivity is vital. The master knew he would be away for some time, and he didn’t just bury his money somewhere in the ground where it would be safe; he committed it to persons who could produce more on the capital. In his opinion, he was already wealthy and successful, but his money could grow some more. This teaches us that we could invest more and grow our wealth more irrespective of what we already owned.

You might have forgiven already, but forgive more, love more, show mercy more, give to the needy more, clothe the naked more, worship God more, seek the lost more, pray more, e.t.c. There should be no irrelevant pride when we have more to achieve.

2. We Are All Gifted According To Our Abilities

Jesus gave one servant ten talents, another five talents, and the last one talent according to their abilities. One common point here is that everyone has been gifted with something. Each person had a special gift; no matter how small, every one of those gifts was essential to Jesus. Some might be more financially endued, while others are more intellectually gifted, e.t.c. They are all gifts from God, and we received according to his evaluation of our capabilities

So nothing in your life is too hard for you to handle; you can very well handle everything God gave you. God knows your skills, knowledgeability, e.t.c. He knows what you can and cannot do, and he is very familiar with your limitations.

3. Burying Money Is Bad

The servant that was given one talent helps us we how Jesus reacts to foolish investments. He is not pleased by any actions that cause a loss of profit. Many of us settle for just stacking money as savings in one account, but we fail to realize that inflation would soon catch up with the value of that money. Of course, it is crucial to save money, but it isn’t very reasonable to let that sum sit idly in your account. Plunge that money into some carefully calculated investment and watch that money grow.

4. Jesus Would Not Judge Us All By The Same Standards

Jesus’ judgment was based on each person’s abilities, and he did not count the servant who made a profit of ten talents greater than that which made a profit of five talents; therefore, there should be no root of comparison amongst believers. We are going to be judged differently based on what Jesus knows that we have the capacity for. Since we know this fact, we should endeavor to stretch and go as much as our energies can carry us never to give up except we have done our best,

6. There Will Be A Judgement Day

Many persons laugh at the thought of a judgment day, they even say there is no heaven or hell, but we can see from this parable that the Bible says otherwise. After all, has been said and done, Jesus would return just like the master did in that parable, and he will settle accounts with us accordingly. Since we know that he would indeed return no matter how long it takes, we ought to live our lives according to his expectations for us. He is the master, and we are his servants; we must never forget this as we go through our lives.

The same way there was a reward for each servant who had done well, there would be rewards for us when we do well so we can go all out in our walk with God, knowing that our labor would not go unrewarded when he returns.

7. Be clear about expectations

Supposing the third servant understood what was expected, he probably would have worked harder to fulfill the expectation. Therefore in our relationships with God and other individuals, be clear about what is expected of you. You are not on the Earth for a census; God put you here for a purpose, find and achieve it.

8. Create multiple streams of income

Like the wise master, do not put all your eggs in one basket. If he had given all the talents to the last servant, he would have had no profit by his return. Take a cue from Jesus and invest in multiple reliable streams of income.

9. There is no room for making losses

The third servant did not misplace the talent or pawn in a Ponzi scheme, he failed to produce profit, and he was thrown into the outer darkness; believers can take a cue from this to understand that we cannot afford to lose in this life we need to make profit with want we have been given.

10. Entrust your money to deserving individuals.

Like the wise master, do not commit your money to persons of no reputation or skill in business. Commit your fund to those who can churn out profits for what you have given to their care.

Conclusion

As God’s children, we must work circumspectly with an understanding of all he has committed to us. Go all out to profit his kingdom in all you do, and your reward would be great indeed.