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Passion Week Contemplations - Tuesday
Hi,
Today was the Bible reading of the 3 servants and their talents.
You all know the story - the servant who had 1 talent, hid his talent and did nothing with it.
What are your talents? What are the talents God is talking about?
How should we use them?
There were a lot of Bible passages today, feel free to mention the sections you want. I'm just curious about this.
Thanks
Today was the Bible reading of the 3 servants and their talents.
You all know the story - the servant who had 1 talent, hid his talent and did nothing with it.
What are your talents? What are the talents God is talking about?
How should we use them?
There were a lot of Bible passages today, feel free to mention the sections you want. I'm just curious about this.
Thanks
Comments
Can someone explain this?
What I find confusing as well, is what if you have a talent but you don't know how to use it to glorify God...
And the worst part is that we're gonna get called "Lazy and wicked" by God for not even knowing what we had.
I'm going to tell God on that day "Lord, I went to tasbeha.org to ask what talents I had, and no one said anything".
Its very confusing. How on earth do we avoid being called Lazy!? Who are those servants? Is God talking to everyone, or to Church servants? If He's talking to anyone, is He addressing believers and non believers or just believers?
To help you know what they are ask your Father in Confession! Abouna will give you exercises to help you find out what talents you may have, and guide you to using your talents to produce more talents. Freely (by Jesus Christ our God and Saviour) you have been given, and freely give, that is the answer to the question of how to make one talent prosperous and to Glorify our God who is in the Heavens! For example, someone you don't know needs help in Math, go out your way to help them -but not for self glory but rather to serve Jesus Christ our God! Another example, is you're a physician, and you help others whom are sick not for the sake of money, or to be proud that you are successful, but rather to serve others as we serve Jesus Christ! If you don't bother to try to learn what your talents are, and/or you are refusing to use them either because you are unthankful and think you deserve more or you are ignorant of what talent(s) you have and think that our God and Saviour Jesus Christ created you with no talent(s) -which is basically telling God that He is not all powerful, all loving, mercyful and that you don't think that God is the one for the job and that you are greater than your master, in which you can tell Him he is wrong, or he created you by mistake. What Paul says (I think), is that faith without works is dead, and vice versa. May our God and Saviour Jesus Christ bless us, and make our talents to flourish! I Hoped this helped.
Please, pray for me!
This is just a personal contemplation of The Parable of the Talents which can be found in Matthew 25[ that was probably influenced by a multitude of sermons on the topic ]. It might not be accurate, but I think that it's the message that your get out of it that counts, given that that message doesn't disagree with any other part of the Bible. I always thought that the talents God was talking about were the gifts that God has given us. Not just things like life and time, but the things that are more specific to an individual. For example, an ability in music/ singing or a natural talent for mathematics.
These gifts that God gives us should be used to glorify His Name.. Being Lazy would be wasting them on useless things or just not using them at all (like in the case of the servant who burried his talents). For the example above, using a mathematical ability could be used to glorify God in the field of scientific research, or even something as indirect as becoming an accountant and being charitable in ones earnings. I don't think these are very good examples.. but perhaps someone else could provide better ones ?
I think that the talents brought back from the market is how God uses our efforts to bring people closer to him, or even using our talents to gain new skills that will allow us to further and better serve the Lord. I think this part is a bit ambiguous (putting the servants in charge of many things), as the servants could be balancing their accounts with the Lord during their lives here on earth or after they have passed away. I think it is after they pass away since the lazy servant is cast to hell (next bit) and not given another chance.. So this would mean that we become responsible for more once we die? That doesn't really make sense.. If anyone else could clarify that would be great!
The talent that the Lord takes from the lazy servant and gives to the one with 10 talents could be God adding to our original abilities and giving us new gifts and hence more and more ways in which we can Glorify His Name. But, this also doesn't really add up if all this occurs once our lives on Earth is over...
I suppose that keeping in mind that God is timeless could explain it, perhaps we are given extra talents while still on Earth and doing well, rather then when it's all over...
Hope I helped and didn't confuse anyone more !
Have a blessed Passion Week :)
if someone is very very shy and thinks they're only good at praying and at nothing else, they can pray a lot, and God will bless them and help them in their life.
so if you think you are the one who is good at very few things, don't worry, do those very few things for the glory of God and you will receive your reward.
zoxasi, (and everyone else) you're good at posting things on the net! so if you continue to use this skill with computers to teach and to learn about our great God, this is very valuable.
Jesus said (luke 12:48) 'to whom much is given, much will be required', so the way i see it, if you're good at art, draw to God's glory, if you're good at cooking, make something for the poor or to take to church, if you're good with money, donate money to the church to help the poor, if you're good at making friends, hang out with non-Christians and bring them into the church, so whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
if someone is very very shy and thinks they're only good at praying and at nothing else, they can pray a lot, and God will bless them and help them in their life.
so if you think you are the one who is good at very few things, don't worry, do those very few things for the glory of God and you will receive your reward.
zoxasi, (and everyone else) you're good at posting things on the net! so if you continue to use this skill with computers to teach and to learn about our great God, this is very valuable.
Yes, I think my talent is asking questions.
God gives us stuff to do and abilities to do it with.
so we should do it!
if we don't we are not truly following God.
some people are worried that they don't do their best to follow God. but we just have to glorify God with all our lives. whatever we do we should do it for God (do well at work, study well at school, take care when bringing up children..) and we should look for ways to tell people that God is important for us.
please tell us if yr still confused.
God bless.
And that's the thing: how on earth are you meant to make a profit from using special gifts or other talents you have??
(Please correct me if I am wrong) Unless you count BEING proudful for them as a cross. Please pray for me.
God bless.
I suppose it could be thought of in that way, but you shouldn't think of it as a burden, it's a GIFT !
[quote author=Zoxsasi link=topic=9044.msg112718#msg112718 date=1270100838]
If talents are "special gifts" or if they are just any gift, like your health, your time, or your businesses - whatever they are, you need to be 110% as apparently, you don't get into heaven unless you've used them and made a profit from them.
And that's the thing: how on earth are you meant to make a profit from using special gifts or other talents you have??
No, as I mentioned above, I think the talents refers to gifts that are unique to the individual, as the Lord gives one servant 5 talents, another 2 talents and a third 1 talent. This shows that God gives each person different gifts, so it cannot be universal things like health and time. mabsoota has posted many beautiful examples of how one can use their gifts:
[quote author=mabsoota link=topic=9044.msg112658#msg112658 date=1270045190]
Jesus said (luke 12:48) 'to whom much is given, much will be required', so the way i see it, if you're good at art, draw to God's glory, if you're good at cooking, make something for the poor or to take to church, if you're good with money, donate money to the church to help the poor, if you're good at making friends, hang out with non-Christians and bring them into the church, so whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
if someone is very very shy and thinks they're only good at praying and at nothing else, they can pray a lot, and God will bless them and help them in their life.