Are You Wasting Your Talent?

By Alexandra Copeland

There’s a saying amongst seasoned veterans in the Christian community that “God ain’t going to bless no mess!” The humor in this sentiment can’t be missed, but there’s an element of truth that ought to resonate with us as well. Everything that we think ought to be blessed isn’t going to be blessed by Heavenly Father. He has given us all special talents, gifts, and abilities. Not one person is without something planted in their DNA that is unique for a purpose God has marked out. The problems we run into is that we haven’t identified this talent, or we are using it in a way that isn’t according to God’s plan for us. We continue to pray and expect great things, yet we’re not willing to use what’s He’s provided for the greatness of His Kingdom.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” God also tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans for us and they are good plans, not for disaster, but to give us a future and a hope. It is God who creates the plan for our lives, and it is our responsibility to find out what it is and begin to walk in it. Many of us spend more time trying to create our own plans than we do seeking to do what the Creator requires. This approach will cause us to waste precious resources and to lose momentum on this journey.

Ephesians 1:11 says that God chose us in Christ, and we were predestined by Him according to His plan. It tells us that God works out everything in alignment with the purpose of His Will. So, if we have identified our gifting, and our ambition is to use it for self-aggrandizement and pride, instead of using it for the purpose for which God intended it, the end result will most likely be frustration or a feeling of being unfulfilled.

1Corinthians 14:33 describes a certain aspect of Heavenly Father’s nature. It says that God doesn’t deal with disorder. Order and priority are very important words to Him; He’s a God of order. He loves it. Some say that order is the first law of heaven, because everything there is as it should be. Our Heavenly Father’s approach is always systematic or ordered according to His laws. He never violates them, and He’s one hundred fifty million percent faithful to His laws. 2Peter 3:9 tells us that the Lord is not slack concerning his promises in any way. With Him, everything has its proper purpose, and everything has a reason. So, if we’re not honoring God’s purpose in our hearts or seeking Him diligently, we probably have no intention of using the gifts, talents, and abilities according to His Will. This is what it means to waste our talents. And it is a shame because when we do this, we lose the blessings that are tied to the gift.

In Matthew 25, Jesus Christ taught a valuable lesson about wastefulness when it comes to the gifts God gives us. In verse 14, he tells us that a man called his employees together because he was going on a trip. He delegated responsibilities and gave three of them money to invest based on their abilities. Two employees doubled their employer’s investment, but the third did nothing with the investment he was given, and his employer was furious. Matthew 25:28 tells us the employer ordered that the money be taken from the servant he called ‘lazy’ and given to the one who had the largest return on his investment.

Blessings were subtracted from the employee who had not used what his employer had given. This is instruction for those of us living today who have been given so much but do so little with it. Jesus Christ said in verse 29 of this same chapter, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

There must be a willingness on our parts to bless others with God’s provision. Philippians 2:13(NLT) tells us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” It is His purpose that we are fulfilling, and we experience the benefits of His blessings when our heart is to do His Will. Our faith should be anchored in the reality that we each have received something unique and special. No one can do what we do, quite the way we do it. If we will let love be our highest goal as 1Corinthians 14:1 tells us, we will not waste the talents, gift, and abilities that God has given us, but we will use them to be the blessing He has destined us to be.■ 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.