Before we dive into ways to steward our talents well, it’s probably a good idea for us to take a moment to discuss what is meant by talents. We’ll take this time because being on the same page with word meanings is an important part of creating meaningful conversations.
So, what are biblical talents? For our purposes we will define talents as all the various gifts God has given to us for our use. This includes all natural, spiritual, and material gifts – our natural abilities, our skill sets, our health, our education, our opportunities, our possessions, and such.
To aid in our understanding of talents, let’s quickly look at 1 Peter 4:10:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
This verse clearly teaches that God has given every person a gift (talent). It also teaches that these talents are to be used for His purpose – helping others and glorifying Him.
Three Biblical Ways to Steward Our Talents Well
USE YOUR TALENTS TOWARD GOD’S INTENDED PURPOSE
Our culture, the world around us, constantly tells us that we should be using our talents for ourselves – for our personal benefit, to reach our own goals and dreams. And if we have been blessed with powerful and dynamic talents, we can certainly be even more tempted to make things “all about us.” But this is not God’s purpose.
Look back at 1 Peter 4:10 and be reminded of God’s purpose. We are to use our talents for others and for God’s glory. We steward our talents well by serving others – generously, without any thought for self. This requires preparation, practice, and follow through with our eyes on those we are serving.
Questions for Reflection:
Are you using your talents toward God’s intended purpose? This might be a good time for some self-examination as you pray Psalm 139:23-24.
Do you have some others to serve? List their names and pray for specific ways to serve them in the next week.
TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR TALENTS
Our talents are not our own. They were not created by us. They are a gift, and we have been entrusted with their care.
The first thing that is required when caring for our gifts is acceptance of the gift. Just as it would hurt the giver and devalue the gift if we refused an offered birthday gift, the same happens when we refuse the gifts of God. Once accepted, we need to acknowledge our gifts and put them to good use. Our gifts are not things to be stored on a shelf or hidden in a corner. They are given to us to be used. As I write this, I am reminded of the fine dining china that many my age received as wedding gifts. Pretty and delicate, this china was most often put on display behind the protective glass of a hutch. It looked pretty sitting on that shelf, and as it sat, if the owner liked they could sit and visualize magnificent scenes in which the china was being used. Rarely was the china ever removed from the cabinet and actually used.
Once your gifts have been accepted and acknowledged, there is need to keep them sharp. It is not an act of selfish ambition to hone your skills. In fact, honing your skills helps you get better at using them. Learn all you can about your talent from books or people with your same talent. Exercise your talent muscles by working them out and developing rhythms of use. Refine your own form by incorporating your unique God-created wiring with your talents. Day by day, year by year, continue to develop, improve, and sharpen your talents for God’s Kingdom work.
Finally, as you care for your talents, learn to focus your aim. As you do the work of honing your talents, never allow yourself to lose sight of God’s intended purpose for their use. Develop a healthy habit of continually taking your motives before the Lord. Let Him do the work of refining and focusing the motives behind the use of your talent.
Questions for Reflection:
Have you accepted and acknowledged your talents? Write down 3-5 gifts God has given to you. Acknowledge them in prayer and commit to stewarding them well.
What are you doing right now to keep your gifts sharp? If your gifts are currently sitting on a shelf or hiding in a corner, identify 1-2 things you can do to develop, improve, and sharpen your gifts.
Is your aim focused? This might be a good time for some self-examination as you pray Matthew 6:1.
BE GENEROUS WITH YOUR TALENTS
Jesus provides us the best example of this third way of stewarding our talents well. Consider His earthly ministry as recorded in the Gospels. Imbued with various talents, Jesus used them for the benefit of others. He honed and sharpened these talents and used them with the purest of motives. But then He did something extraordinary. He demonstrated generosity with His talents by limiting them and making space for others to use theirs.
John 14:12 records some of the most mind-blowing words spoken by Jesus “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” What? Greater works? Because He was leaving?
Jesus made room for others to use their gifts. Keep in mind that the goal is Kingdom work – benefiting others, glorifying God. For this to happen, there will be times when we may need to follow Jesus’ example by being generous with our talents. This generosity may require us to rethink our talents and how we use them. It may ask us to lay our talent aside so another can use theirs. For example, we may need to be willing to step to the background and let another member of the praise team have the solo. Or we may need to lay aside our long-standing position as chief decorator for church events and let another lead the charge.
This step is not easy. Once we have accepted and sharpened our talents, it can be hard to lay them down so another can use theirs. But stewarding our talents well sometimes requires that we step aside, hand off our talent, and help another sharpen theirs.
Questions for Reflection:
Am I generous with my talents, making room for others to use theirs? This might be a good time for some self-examination as you pray Philippians 2:4.
Who around me can I help to sharpen their talents? List their names and ask God to give your opportunities to be generous toward them.
So, what?
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), informs us on the discipline of stewardship. In the Parable, Jesus conveys the importance of using our God-given talents for the benefit of the Kingdom as He tells of the servants who wisely invested and multiplied their talents being praised and the one who buried his talents being rebuked.
The implication of the parable is that it is a privilege to be entrusted with talents and to use them for God’s intended purpose. Accept the gift. Hone your talents, sharpen them, and use them with the purest of motives. Make space for others to use theirs. Grow in Christlikeness as you steward your talents well.
