Use What You Have
In Matthew 25:14-30 we find the Parable of the Talents. The Master, who is going away, gives three of his servants a specific amount of money according to their abilities. The first two servants invested what they were given and the last one hid his in the ground. When the Master came back, he asked each person what they had done with what they had been given. The first two had used their money and made a profit. The third guy who did nothing with his money was punished for being lazy and not using what he had been given.
For the longest time I thought this passage was about having money. How much money I have or don't have was never the point. The moral of the story is to take what I have been given and USE it to help others.
We are all given life by God. And with that life, we are blessed with gifts and talents and stuff. Each one of us was uniquely made to have a specific place in the Body of Christ. In other words, we all have a special function in the Church.
The Church is meant to be a group of people who have layed aside their own agenda in order to work together for the good of the group as a whole. All members are equally valued and needed if the church is going to effectively help those in need. Every person has a job or task to do and it is not based on what is best for the individual but for the entire group.
Many people see the church as having two types of people: leaders and followers. We have created hierarchies within the church with the Pastor and the staff members at the top. Often times, they are regarded as being better than or more important than the congregation. But this is not how God views the church.
In God's eyes there is The Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and there are the sheep (all those who believe in Him). Each believer is meant to fulfill a specific function or role within the flock. This does not mean that one person is valued more than another. Each person has been created for a specific purpose. God has chosen some people to serve in the nursery, some to empty the trash, and some to run the office. There is not one person who is better than another to God.
You were created to do something within the church. Use what you have to help those around you.
The church as a whole benefits most when we use our gifts, talents, and resources to help others.
Heidirn
For the longest time I thought this passage was about having money. How much money I have or don't have was never the point. The moral of the story is to take what I have been given and USE it to help others.
We are all given life by God. And with that life, we are blessed with gifts and talents and stuff. Each one of us was uniquely made to have a specific place in the Body of Christ. In other words, we all have a special function in the Church.
The Church is meant to be a group of people who have layed aside their own agenda in order to work together for the good of the group as a whole. All members are equally valued and needed if the church is going to effectively help those in need. Every person has a job or task to do and it is not based on what is best for the individual but for the entire group.
Many people see the church as having two types of people: leaders and followers. We have created hierarchies within the church with the Pastor and the staff members at the top. Often times, they are regarded as being better than or more important than the congregation. But this is not how God views the church.
In God's eyes there is The Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and there are the sheep (all those who believe in Him). Each believer is meant to fulfill a specific function or role within the flock. This does not mean that one person is valued more than another. Each person has been created for a specific purpose. God has chosen some people to serve in the nursery, some to empty the trash, and some to run the office. There is not one person who is better than another to God.
You were created to do something within the church. Use what you have to help those around you.
The church as a whole benefits most when we use our gifts, talents, and resources to help others.
Heidirn
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