Where is your talent invested?

Have you ever read the parable of the ten coins? If not, you can read it in Luke 19:11-27. This parable has always reminded me of the importance of working diligently in every task that we are given, whether at home, work, or in the community. In our lives it is inevitable that we do not report to someone who holds us accountable to our actions or whom we must commit to in performance. Sometimes those people seem to be just like the nobleman from the parable. For example, maybe a boss who does none of the work, but takes all of the credit. Well, we know that this life is temporary at best. As Christians we ought to devote ourselves to sharing the Gospel, or The Great Commission as it is mainly recognized. All other things that happen to us on earth are vanity. However, we are still human and we will still be given opportunities of earthly value, such as a promotion or a great opportunity for recognition. So the question that you must ask yourself is, "Where are you investing your talents?" Are you investing your talents in a place that will reap dividends? Or are you simply burying your talents in the ground because you don't want someone else to receive the rewards that you think you deserve.

I believe that there are two concepts that are important to a successful life: contentment and complacency. We must be content with what we are given, and we must not stay complacent with our ability to do better. Additionally, we must constantly remind ourselves of Colossians 3:22 and Ephesians 6:5-9. We must obey our earthly masters (a.k.a. your boss at work/parents/leaders) and if we are the earthly master than we must show our servants respect (a.k.a. your employees/children/patrons). I will add this one reminder that we are referring to earthly matters and not spiritual matters in these two scriptures because spiritually we only have one master who we can serve.

To conclude this post, I invite you to consider your own performance and personnel. Are there any areas of your life that you need to re-invest your talents in? Do your best to think about this with a renewed mind and be sure to pray to God. It may take some time for you to identify and correct any bad investments or talents that are just sitting on the shelf collecting dust. You may have to re-adjust your time commitments so that you can allocate your resources properly.

For more information about maintaining balance you should read more scriptures. Perhaps the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes would be a good starting place.