Daily Scripture: Matthew 25:14 “For it will be like a man about to leave home for awhile, who entrusted his possessions to his servants. 15 To one he gave five talents [equivalent to a hundred years’ wages]; to another, two talents; and to another, one talent — to each according to his ability. Then he left. 16 The one who had received five talents immediately went out, invested it and earned another five. 17 Similarly, the one given two earned another two. 18 But the one given one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time, the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the other five and said, ‘Sir, you gave me five talents; here, I have made five more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Excellent! You are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master’s happiness!’ 22 Also the one who had received two came forward and said, ‘Sir, you gave me two talents; here, I have made two more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Excellent! you are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master’s happiness!’
24 “Now the one who had received one talent came forward and said, ‘I knew you were a hard man. You harvest where you didn’t plant and gather where you didn’t sow seed. 25 I was afraid, so I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!’ 26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ said his master, ‘So you knew, did you, that I harvest where I haven’t planted? and that I gather where I didn’t sow seed? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would at least have gotten back interest with my capital! 28 Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
Reflection Questions:Three servants—two called “good and faithful,” the third fired for being “evil and lazy.” The Greek word translated “valuable coin” was talanta, and a talantawas a lot of money—up to 20 years of a typical worker’s wages! In Jesus' story, the servant with two talantaswas as faithful as the one with five. The third servant’s “lazy evil” was not having less—it was digging a hole and doing nothing with the treasure the master gave him. God wants us to use any resources (energy, time, skills, money or other assets) God gives us wisely, willingly and generously.
- What resources has God placed in your life? How are you using those resources to serve the Kingdom of God and bless others? Are there any resources you have “buried in a hole in the ground,” so to speak? If so, how can you begin to use them actively for God’s purposes?
- The apostle Paul wrote, “What is expected of a manager is that they prove to be faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). To the Galatians, he wrote that living selfishly destroys our freedom, that serving each other in love is the divine antidote for selfishness (cf. Galatians 5:13-14). In what ways have you seen the Spirit work through your commitments to God and others to grow the fruit of generosity in you?
Lord Jesus, I admit that sometimes I’d like to keep the resources you entrust to me all for myself. Teach me daily more about what it means for me to be good and faithful. Amen.
--------------Insights from Melanie Hill
Melanie Hill is the Guest Connections Program Director at Resurrection.
One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to teach our “Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts” class here at Resurrection. And why wouldn’t it be? I always get to start with good news: Congratulations! You’re gifted!
God has uniquely gifted each of us for service. We all have different gifts, talents, resources and skills. As part of the class I get to hear all of the amazing ways our congregation is gifted as they share the things they are good at, talented in, and gifted with.
The part that always confounds me, though, is when I ask how they might use those things to serve God’s Kingdom. I get puzzled looks from the same people who just listed off numerous things they are good at. I’ve found over time that this confusion often results from the belief that we have “church” things we are good at and “the rest of the week” things we are good at. It’s as if we have gifts that are specifically useful either only at church, or outside of church.
It reminds me of when I was little and my grandmother would tell me not to get my “church clothes” dirty. As a kid it seemed silly that there were clothes that I could only wear to church (I still find it silly). Our gifts are the same way. They are meant to be used all the time—not just at church, or at work, or at home. Your gifts are part of what makes you, well, you. God has placed you exactly where He wants you to start making a difference for His Kingdom, whether that is at your job, in your neighborhood, in your family, in your relationships, or here at your church.
So if you’re thinking that your passion for working on cars isn’t really a “church” gift, then you haven’t met the amazing men who help run our Cars Ministry. Or if you’re thinking that being a greeter at church doesn’t translate to your workplace, then you’ve forgotten that everyone wants to feel welcomed and cared for. Where in your life have you separated your talents and gifts into church gifts and other? How might you start to use your gifts both here at Resurrection and also right where God has planted you?
And just in case you are still wondering if that thing you love to do is really something that God can use to build up His Kingdom, the answer is YES!
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Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to teach our “Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts” class here at Resurrection. And why wouldn’t it be? I always get to start with good news: Congratulations! You’re gifted!
God has uniquely gifted each of us for service. We all have different gifts, talents, resources and skills. As part of the class I get to hear all of the amazing ways our congregation is gifted as they share the things they are good at, talented in, and gifted with.
The part that always confounds me, though, is when I ask how they might use those things to serve God’s Kingdom. I get puzzled looks from the same people who just listed off numerous things they are good at. I’ve found over time that this confusion often results from the belief that we have “church” things we are good at and “the rest of the week” things we are good at. It’s as if we have gifts that are specifically useful either only at church, or outside of church.
It reminds me of when I was little and my grandmother would tell me not to get my “church clothes” dirty. As a kid it seemed silly that there were clothes that I could only wear to church (I still find it silly). Our gifts are the same way. They are meant to be used all the time—not just at church, or at work, or at home. Your gifts are part of what makes you, well, you. God has placed you exactly where He wants you to start making a difference for His Kingdom, whether that is at your job, in your neighborhood, in your family, in your relationships, or here at your church.
So if you’re thinking that your passion for working on cars isn’t really a “church” gift, then you haven’t met the amazing men who help run our Cars Ministry. Or if you’re thinking that being a greeter at church doesn’t translate to your workplace, then you’ve forgotten that everyone wants to feel welcomed and cared for. Where in your life have you separated your talents and gifts into church gifts and other? How might you start to use your gifts both here at Resurrection and also right where God has planted you?
And just in case you are still wondering if that thing you love to do is really something that God can use to build up His Kingdom, the answer is YES!
--------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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