In many Christian circles, there is a word which has become taboo over the past several years. That word is: "Work".
Let me explain...
For most of the 20th Century, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was reduced to referring only to the story of the Death, Burial and Resurrection. And that word "Work" was implemented in the context of the phrase, "Don't get caught with your WORK undone... "; which is not biblical, but was very popular. There was a since that, even though Jesus died to open the way for salvation for us, there was still a since that salvation had to some how still be earned by us.
But in this century, a very important element of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been added; or to put it more actually, reinserted. This element is, "Grace".
Grace is the outcome of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of our Savior. We are now removed from God's wrath which the rest of the world will one day face. Its not because we don't deserve God's wrath; its that God's wrath was satisfied for us. The cost was paid by the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our sacrificial lamb and now there is no price left to be paid.
However, now that the "legalistic", "work for your salvation", attitude has been taken from the table and the "Full and Complete" story of the Gospel has been rediscovered, this has driven many Christians to the opposite extreme: LAZINESS!
The fact that we don't exchange the work of our hands for salvation, doesn't mean that there is no longer any work to do. The book of James makes it very clear;
"A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone... " James 2:24
For those in this generation who still feel a calling to "Work" for Christ despite being called a "Legalist", there is a parable of a rewarding tale of how God, the Lord of the Harvest is faithful and just to bless His children for their faithfulness.
This parable appears in the book of Matthew, the 25th chapter, as one of the multiple stories which Jesus told that provided a verbal portrait of the Kingdom of God. Luke also records this parable in the 19th chapter. Jesus tells the parable because, according to Luke,
"... they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear" Luke 19:11
Apparently the crowd needed to be informed that God is looking for each of us to do a great work for Him, but for some reason they were content to sit and wait for the Kingdom of God to just "arrive" on its own (kind of like now... ).
In this story, Jesus used the example of a "talent" which was a medium of exchange equal to money, but could just as easily be considered anything of use or of value. Luke uses the term "mina" in the parable which is roughly three months wages (there is no debate that this story is referring to money; both Matthew and Luke record that Jesus referred to the subject as being money at least twice).
The first man in the story was aggressive with what he was given. He used everything that he was entrusted with and as a result, was able to bring his master a large increase. Another of the men was also aggressive. He was given less than the first, but notice the percentage of increase he brought to his master was the same. But, the last of the men was doubtful and negative. He doubted that he could ever be successful so he decided not to try at all. Instead he hid his talent where no one could see it so that when his master returned he could just give back what he had been given.
The problem with the third guy was; he thought more about what could go wrong then what was going to go right. He could not see past his doubts and would rather break even than face the possibility of losing out completely. He was doubtful and he was plagued with fear. He was afraid of failing with what his master had given him. He was afraid of disappointment and most of all, afraid of his master. He clearly thought to himself,
"what if I lose this talent? My master is a mean man, etc., etc."
He refused to put his talent to work because he was sure his work would fail so he devised his own plan for what he thought would insure a since of victory. He figured he'd just give his master back the seed that he was given. This way, he could guarantee he wouldn't return to his master empty handed.
God has entrusted each of us with things of value. Those talents could be internal talents such as physical ability, mental capacity, learned skills, acquired trades and experience. Or they could be external talents, (things not stemming from you but affecting you) such as a societal status or relationships with other talented people having access to great resources. Our master wants us to pursue all types of increase: spiritual increase, physical increase, increase in faith, increase in peace, increase in finances, and overall, an increase in our relationships with Jesus Christ.
However, instead of pursuing a great work, too many of us "hide out". We are so convinced any endeavor we attempt will fail that we choose to keep our one little talent hidden when God wants us to take charge of five talents and turn them into ten!
God has given you gifts, but it's up to you to do something with it! If you are satisfied with no work to prove your faithfulness, then that is what you will have. And you will never see an increase of talent because you refuse to make an effort just like the third man in this story who was "hiding out" because increase looked impossible.
Things are SUPPOSED to look impossible from time to time! You are SUPPOSED to find yourself doing things that you've never done before! You are even SUPPOSED to find yourself doing things that scare you! But God has to move you beyond your own understanding to move you away from depending on yourself and into trusting Him. God has to lead you out of your comfort zone; away from a place where the fear of losing everything will cause you to hide. The truth is, the only real way to overcome fear is to do that very thing which you fear! Remember, many things done in society today were once things which were very scary; which no one had done before less than a generation ago!
Stop hiding your talents in the ground! Stop hiding your money in the bank! Stop hiding from the church officers trying to recruit you! If you have money, make an investment! If you can sing, join the choir! If you are dependable, become a trustee! Stop hiding and get to WORK! The result will be a great and abundant increase in several areas of your life to give you more than you've ever had before as you do more and more of what you have never done!
