UTILIZE YOUR GOD-GIVEN WEIGHT

TEXT: MATTHEW 25:14-30 (NKJV)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag 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 and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Have you ever found yourself where you felt inadequate to fit in?

Have you also found yourself in a situation where you felt you had something to offer until you got distracted and began to focus on another person’s abilities, and in the process, you got swallowed up by their abilities? I can understand how it feels to be in a situation where you don’t feel like you belong or you’re not measuring up. Likewise, it’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others, especially when you see their strengths or skills shining brightly. It can make you forget about your unique qualities or contributions; it’s almost like you shrink in their presence.

It’s like getting distracted by someone else’s light; you dim your own in that process. The tricky part is not recognising your worth when surrounded by others who might seem more talented or confident. These are vulnerable and challenging places to be. Situations might make you feel like you are losing your sense of what you could offer because of someone else’s abilities, but you must let your light, no matter how little, shine!

The parable of the talents brings us again to a place of self-reflection on how our capacities can be different but unique. In discovering these hidden strengths, we must be willing to unearth them.

The Greek definition of talent is a measure of gold, silver or copper weight worth roughly a million dollars or 20 years’ worth of a standard person’s wages (Matthew 25:15).

Imagine how much God entrusted into the hands of even the servant with one talent, and while it is possible to begin feeling you have nothing to impact your world, think about this servant and know that God has given you responsibility and even more than you need to start manifesting your purpose and destiny.

If we want to be honest with ourselves, we are not always excited about utilising our weights, nor do we exercise them. I learnt in the gym that strength training will help me build muscle, but for that to happen, I need to learn consistency and endurance with the right diet. This was a beautiful lesson for me until recently, when I learnt a new word called “progressive overload’’; here you start with smaller weights and keep increasing the weight till you can’t handle anymore for that time. Your muscles recognise these changes and respond to them in a good way. It comes to a time when your body begins to handle that weight, and you are required to overload by adding more kilograms or pounds.

Many times, we quit too quickly because we are not ready for the version of ourselves, we are about to be introduced to, and can I say we are not excited or anticipating that version of ourselves. When I began to visualise the version of myself, I wanted to be health-wise, it made me show up for myself at the gym when all I wanted to do was sleep. I leave the gym feeling happier and accomplished. My victory mode starts the moment I step out of the house. I say to myself, ’Wow, Freda, you did that.” That’s a victory worth celebrating for me. Let me ask you a question: What are you afraid of that prevents you from showing up and being the best version of who God has called you to be? It is a sin to surrender to fear when the only one capable of helping you is God. All he is asking for is just that one talent (weight) to be utilised by you and watch Him multiply it in a way that others will draw from it while being inspired.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, for everyone reading this now, I ask that you shine through and show them the weight or talent you need them to use in a way that brings glory to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.