THE ONE TALENTED MAN

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  (Matthew 25:24 NKJV)

The five talented men are the geniuses of the world, successful in everything they touch. The two talented men, on the one hand, are not exposed to the temptations of genius, but are not quite at the minimum. But why did the man with the one talent make such ill use of his gift? Surely, this is a true touch of life! One talented people can do so little, that they do nothing. They are crushed and weakened by a sense of their own insignificance and inferiority. Many start life with high and pure aims, but presently they find their opportunities so meager, their influence so limited, their power so scanty, that after a few struggles they give up in despair.

But the world will never be saved and helped unless the one talented people, who are the great majority, can be aroused to a sense of their responsibility. Five men can put the whole energy of their manhood behind their single talents, while the one man with five talents has only the driving power of one. It is probably a greater thing in God's sight to use one talent faithfully than many. No one notices the man with his humble one talent. There is no outburst of praise or cheering. It is a greater test of the quality of the soul to go on doing one small thing well, than to be able to turn with brilliant versatility from one talent to another. The monotony of life presses hard on those who have only one string to their bow, one tune to play, one act to perform in the great factory where labor is carefully subdivided.

But the one thing that our Lord demands of each of us is to be faithful, faithful in a very little. He is watching each of us with great eagerness as we live our daily life, because He knows, as we cannot realize, how much our position in the other world depends on our fidelity in this. It is for our sake that He is so anxious that we should make good use of our one talent.

Have you only one talent? Are you doing anything with it? Remember it is the ounce weight that may turn the scales where a hundred weights are balanced; it is the tiny tug boat that can move the great ship. Be faithful with your very little, and you shall receive the "Well done" of your Lord.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, at the end of every day, may we stand before You to hear Your verdict, and when all the toil and labor of our life is ended, may we hear You say: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things, enter into the joy of your Lord".  In Jesus’ name I ask it, AMEN.

God's Daily Promise

Promise #165:
Call out to Me and I will show you wonderful things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3 (WEB)
Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things,
and difficult, which you don’t know.