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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, August 22, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Parable of the Talents Bible Verse:Romans 12:3-8 (ESV) "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” " Message:
The term “talent” as a measure of money can be distracting. It can help to read $50,000 (or £50,000) for five talents, $20,000 for two talents, and $10,000 for one talent. These are roughly the amounts that Jesus was talking about.
The parable is very long and cannot be subdivided, and there is a lot of meat in it; so, to keep the commentary from running too long, we will look at it some more, tomorrow.
The broad outline is not difficult to understand. The master is God, and the talents he gives them represent everything God gives us in our life, generally, and the grace we receive from the sacrifice of Christ, specifically. If it seems odd that the word “talent”, a measure of money, is used here as a metaphor for what we would call “talent” — our gifts, our inherent aptitude to accomplish some goal — it is no accident. Our meaning of “talent” comes directly from this very parable!
We get a number of things by accident of birth. Our intelligence, aptitudes, beauty, athleticism, support in childhood, education, often some money — not to mention, life itself. The list is endless. These are given to us, directly or indirectly, from God. And then God, in a sense, goes away. He lets us decide how to use what we receive. If we use our natural gifts productively, God is pleased. If we spend our lives watching television and eating Cheetos, He is not pleased.
But that isn’t what Christ is really about here, is it? God may be happy enough for us if we work hard at honest labor and make a better life on earth — He did command us, after all, “be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth” (Genesis 9:7) — but that is hardly the message of Christ. Christ is more concerned with our salvation, and the increase He demands are fruits of the spirit: How much we have loved God and our neighbor. Have we have used our talents to help others, both in worldly terms and in terms of increasing their life in Christ?
In Galatians, Paul gives us a list of character attributes that are “fruits of the Spirit”, which is surely not meant to be exclusive but is helpful if we need some ideas: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Meditation : Prayer : May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions today, and always........Amen |
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