Of the many talents entrusted to us from God is the advantage of our own souls and the advantage of the souls of others. We can understand this more plainly through the first and second greatest commandments in Matthew 22:36-40.
Understood this way, no part of the talents entrusted to the unfaithful servant worked to either the advantage of his own soul or the advantage of others. Thus, the unfaithful servant represents selfishness in addition to disobedience and unfaithfulness.
A key principle in the kingdom of heaven is continual growth or increase. There is no standing still, no status quo. When we employ the talents entrusted to us, more is received. Quite simply, when we study the Bible to learn more of God, we increase in faith and understanding. This leads to further study and further increase.
Another principle in the kingdom of heaven is that we receive by giving to others. An example of this type of faithfulness is tithing and putting God first. One practical application of this principle is giving more responsibility to others and expecting that they faithfully discharge their duties. By doing so, we are helping them grow into a more capable person and accomplishing more ourselves because we have delegated responsibility.
In reading through older commentaries on the parable of the talents, improving upon the talents is a key theme. Improving ourselves, the communities around us, our families, our skills and abilities, our livelihoods, our knowledge, and so forth are the keys to understanding the kingdom of heaven and prospering in God’s economy.
Amassing wealth for ourselves, engaging the affections, and gaining position and notoriety are ambitions of the world. In the kingdom of heaven, we work first for the honor and glory of God and leave the results up to Him. Thus, the faithful servants returned both the talents and the increase to the master. It all belongs to the Lord.
Profit for Christ is the end for which He entrusted the gifts to us. Looking back to the creation of the world, we see first communion between God and humanity in the Garden of Eden. Second, God gave Adam and Eve work to do in managing and stewarding the earth. Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15, 3:8-10
These are the objectives of Christ for humanity. As the Old Testament unfolds, we also see the plan of redemption. In Isaiah, the promise is introduced that Israel would be the light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6, 49:6, Acts 13:47 Taking the gospel into the whole world is also a key command from Christ. Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8
As we consider and evaluate how to apply the parable of the talents to ourselves, our starting point should be aligning our actions with the objectives of Christ.
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