The Parable of the Talents (Part 2)

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I started on the parable of the talents, and what Jesus really meant. Contrary to some interpretations, the talents don't depict money, but the God-given talents or gifts we were born with. This points to those who are born of God (true Christians).

Just as the master gave three of his servants talents in his business, this implies to us that Jesus made those who are born of Him stewards or managers within the field He placed us in. The Holy Spirit reveals this to us, and how we are to go about it.

Our focus is the expansion of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus fulfilling the mandate of the great commission given to us by our Jesus Christ. This is the business He has called us into, and nothing else.

So, what about our needs, aren't we to work for our needs?

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Why did Jesus bring this up? He brought this up because the world since the fall of man in Genesis had been serving mammon knowingly or unknowingly. The spirit of mammon was the spirit that brought about the creation of money. Money was created for man to acquire his needs with it. But this was not so from the beginning.

Adam's needs were already met before he was created. God gave him his talent, to tend the garden in line with the perfect system God designed. This is why after Jesus said we cannot serve both God and mammon in Matthew 6:24, He continued in verse 25 saying we should not worry about what to eat, drink, or wear, talking about our needs. Why did Jesus say this? The reason is that worrying about our needs is an act of unbelief or the absence of faith. And if we don't have faith in Jesus, it means we have faith in mammon, where we sweat to get food to eat and get other needs met.

This wrong became a norm of life and it's impossible to break on our own. Jesus made us understand that life under Him is different. In Matthew 6:33 He asks us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto us. In other words, when we have faith in Him by focusing on our mission expressed through our talents or gifts as He leads us, we will find out that our needs were met from the beginning.

Our needs are not met because we focused on His mission using our talents, rather our needs are His expression of His grace, which is not conditional.

The moment we focus on getting our needs met, we won't focus on our mission, and we will switch to the other master—mammon. The reason is that God did not design man to get His needs met, God designed man to be His steward on this earth using the talents He gave us; for His plan and purpose (ref.: Jeremiah 10:23).

The parable of the talents is an expression of faith. In fact, everything we as Sons and Daughters of God do must be by faith (ref.: Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 3:5), which is to trust and rest in Him because if He said it, it is done. He gave us a glimpse or shadow of this when He took care of the needs of the children of Israel while in the wilderness, not to mention us who live under a better covenant.

What talent have you been given and how will you do business with it? This is where the Holy Spirit comes in (ref.: John 14:26). Jesus said that without Him we can do nothing (ref.: John 15:5), and He will never leave us nor forsake us (ref.: Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus said in John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

We create value when we focus on the mission, just as King Solomon did. The more he expressed God's wisdom, the more his talent increased in value thus bearing fruit. The people expressed this when they brought gifts for him. Likewise, as we express our talents for His purpose, we increase the number of our talents by increasing their value ensuring they achieve their purpose.

Our life is like a journey, and on the path, our needs have been placed at different points along the path. We will only find them as long as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. When a need arises, He opens our eyes to see His provision, because a master would not send out his servants if he hadn't taken care of their needs ahead of time. This was what God did for Adam so that he would focus on his purpose, likewise us. Trust in the Lord's leading and not on our own understanding (ref.: Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remember, our talent is for the expansion of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. We should also remember that our needs have also been met even before we started our mission with Jesus. As we key into Christ Jesus, through His Spirit, we know how to go about our mission. By using our talents we create more value because the talents yield fruits and increase in value, thereby having more talents to present to the Lord when He returns.

Our talents should be expressed in the leading of the Holy Spirit. As this is done, we expand the kingdom of our Lord Jesus, our talents are valued more, and it yields fruits, thus increasing its overall worth. Remember we are God's stewards, thus we focus on His kingdom and not on getting our needs met because He sorted that out before we received the talents to become His stewards.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t? Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations—you’re born again, and you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

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Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

The Parable of the Talents (Part 1)

The parables of Jesus are so powerful that they should not be taken for granted. Each one contains insights into deep revelations. Often, Jesus uses parables as an allegory depicting the kingdom of heaven and the parable of the talents which is my focus today, is no different.

The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30 where a master called three servants of his and gave each of them talents according to their abilities, not based on sentiments. He gave one servant five talents, to another he gave two talents, and to the last, he gave one talent. He asked them to go and do business with them until he returned from the journey he was about to embark upon.

Now, I've heard several teachings on this parable, and many seem to depict talent with money, but this is totally wrong.

First are the master, who depicts Jesus, and the servants who depict the Christians (Sons and Daughters of God). And if this is so, when Jesus comes back, are we to give Him more money? Think of it. This is because God did not give us money in the first place. Money was made by man, not God. So, if talent doesn't depict money, what does it mean?

Very plain and simple, talents depict our God-given talents or gifts, what we were all born with. So, what does this have to do with the parable, and what does it mean to do business with it?

We must first understand that talent comes from God. In other words, God gave us these talents, doing this therefore implies that He made us stewards of His kingdom.

We are to understand that before the coming of the Lord Jesus, we are first to establish His kingdom in us [through acceptance or faith] and expand it while here on earth. This is why He gave the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20, thus making us understand the importance of the kingdom, making us understand His mercy by delivering the whole world from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom (seen in His death, burial, and resurrection). This is activated through us, thus going into all the world and enlarging the kingdom of our Lord Jesus and using these talents, this is the business Jesus meant, NOTHING ELSE.

But what about our needs?

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Why did Jesus bring this up? He brought this up because the world since the fall of man in Genesis had been serving mammon intentionally or otherwise. The spirit of mammon was the spirit that brought about the creation of money. Money was created for man to acquire his needs, and this was not so from the beginning.

For Jesus to point our attention to this implies He was to enlighten us on the way it was at the beginning, and what it was. So, how was it from the beginning, and how does that connect with the parable of the talents?

You'll find the answer to these questions in tomorrow's write-up. So, log on tomorrow for the part 2 of The Parable of the Talents

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t? Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations—you’re born again, and you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

Take Action! It's a Happy New Year

It's a new year, and many consider it a new beginning. True, the Gregorian calendar would suggest that. But the question here is what exactly is new? Is it the calendar year or a re-establishment of a purpose to be achieved? This should be made clear.

If the calendar is new, that's alright. But the calendar shouldn't be your focus when establishing or re-establishing a purpose or mission. The moment you receive the vision to develop a purpose or the need to re-establish the purpose, the calendar shouldn't be what you look at. You take the bull by the horns and begin immediately. And this starts by asking the Lord how and when you're to carry out the mission or the purpose (ref.: Psalm 119:105 TPT; Jeremiah 10:23). Then follow every step given to you, because He is the one who sent you, and not you sending yourself.

The point here is that you don't wait, but take action immediately. Even when the Lord gives you time to take action, you take action when the time comes. Or haven't you noticed in the scriptures that the Lord sets things in time here on earth, which is why you often read "when the time fully came..."

Commitment and the discipline to keep at it births consistency and eventual success in the purpose or mission.

So, is time an illusion or not? The answer is 'Yes' and 'No.' The time of man is an illusion, but the time of the Lord God is not. The Lord works with Kairos and not Chronos when dealing with time, this is why we need to sit at the Lord's feet to key into His way of thinking. Well, He has given us His mind as an inheritance (ref.: 1 Corinthians 2:16), so as we sit at His feet through meditation on His word, we release the Him in us who Himself is us through our rebirth (ref.: 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Take action, for there is no time to waste. Sit at the Lord's feet to know the right steps to take. This was what Jesus did when He was here on earth, and He never got any step wrong. Do this, and you'll have a fantastic year.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t? Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations—you’re born again, and you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

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Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

The Greatest Gift of All Time

To many, Christmas is a season of giving—a time of giving to loved ones and those in need and putting a smile on someone's face. But many times, we forget where we emulate the reason why we give.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The human race was sentenced to death whether they did good or bad, but because of their nature, a nature that came about at the fall of man in Genesis 3. But God's love for the human race was so much that He gave a gift, the greatest gift of all whereby the whole world would be redeemed from death.

This gift was a total package, a chance to start afresh on a clean slate in a brand new life in its totality (ref.: 2 Corinthians 5:17). He was offered brand new health, wealth, and most of all a brand new spirit because he was offered the opportunity to have a new nature different from that which was sentenced to death. It was the perfect life because this life was the very life of God Himself (ref.: Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 4:3-6).

We give because He first gave. But in the spirit of giving, we should not forget the essence of Christmas. Our giving should point to Christ, as it should be done out of love for one another just as He loved us.

Even though we pick the 25th of December every year to celebrate the greatest gift from God to man, who is our Lord Jesus Christ, we should remember that every day we are to celebrate Christmas, for without the birth of Jesus, there wouldn't have been the redemption of man through His death, burial, and resurrection.

Jesus is our salvation, our full package, our reason for the season, our new life, and He is the greatest gift of all time.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t? Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations—you’re born again, and you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

Understanding the Power of Our Creativity

Last time, I wrote on the power of imagination, the ability God gave every man allowing him or her to create. Every form of invention was an expression of man's creative ability. But since the fall of man, man's creative ability didn't stop, it still continued. So, wasn't having the creative ability a dangerous thing after the fall of man?

There is a lot of chaos in the world today. What do you think caused it? Man's creative abilities through imagination.

Man lost something fundamental when he fell: his relationship with God. His Spirit was different from that of God to the point Genesis 6:5 says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually." AMPC.

When man fell, he was blind and lost his sense of direction. From the time of creation to the present, things created over time have caused chaos in one way or another.

However, what was lost was redeemed through our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone born of God is expected to have this, and that is the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples before He left that He wouldn't leave them as orphans but would send them a Helper—the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of Truth, who will abide with them (us) forever. He will teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance (ref.: John 14:15-18, 26).

The Spirit of Jesus (the Holy Spirit) in us is the bridge between man and the Father. Also remember that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord Jesus, is also God. He is the one who leads us in the proper way to create in line with the original system design of God Almighty.

So, how do we create without stepping on God's toes? Creativity is not controlled but an authentic expression of one's imagination brought into reality.

To answer this, let us take a closer look at the creation of man, the first and last Adam, and see the similarities. Genesis 1:26a says "26 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness" AMPC. Then, let's take a look at John 5:19, which says, "Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."

To be created in the image and likeness of God implies that no matter how creative one could become, he cannot create outside of God, because he was created as He is in His likeness or ability. So, there is nothing we do that can come as a shock to God. So, Jesus said that He does nothing outside of who God is, because being the very essence of God Himself, it would only make sense to act as He is, which is to do only that which He sees His heavenly Father do.

To do anything outside of that is to act outside of who He is because to be made in the image and likeness of God is to be one in Spirit. As it says, "let Us" that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (ref.: Genesis 1:26), implying oneness in Spirit, and thus bringing man into the spiritual bond, which includes his creativity.

This connection was what Adam lost when he fell in Genesis, but Jesus showed us the importance of the connection and also emphasised it to the Apostles in Luke 24:49, "'I will send the fulfillment of the Father’s promise to you, so stay here in the city until you are clothed with the mighty power of heaven.”' TPT. Thus, those who are redeemed (born again) are one in Spirit with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (ref.: Ephesians 4:4-6). Therefore, we are to sit at the Lord's feet consistently, to learn who He is, to then express who we are.

So, when the Psalmist said when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart (ref.: Psalm 37:4), what it really means is that when we spend time with the Lord, we then live our true lives, which is He's because we are one Spirit with Him. We know us because we knew Him first. We express our creativity because we understand God's creation first.

Everything has a system, and God created a system in which our creativity falls. But if we don't allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in line with the system which we find in the Word, we will create amiss and birth chaos.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

The Power of Your Imagination

There is something very unique about God in what He does: His power of creativity. When you read the book of Genesis chapter 1, you find God in the art of creation. It must have been outstanding for the angels to watch the bringing something out of nothing, things that had never before existed.

But when you read about the creation of man in Genesis 1:26a, something is striking. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” What does this mean? It means that man was not just created in God's image and His likeness. In other words, humans were the only ones of God's creation who were given the privilege to create. Wow!

Creativity comes from our imagination. In Genesis 11, the tower of Babel was built. But the creativity came from the imagination of man, as God said in Genesis 11:6, "And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them." AMPC.

The imagination of man is the birthplace of creativity. God created man to be creative just as He is. But Adam fell and the whole world is in a fallen state. Isn't the ability to create a dangerous tool in the hands of man? The inventions over the years that have led to the civilised state that we are in are a result of the use of the imagination, that is, the power to create.

The devil puts thoughts in man to imagine, that if he falls prey, he creates. The devil knows that the only way he can ruin the life of anyone is through their imagination, by polluting it so the man can use it to create if he rests on what he placed there. This is why God asks every Son or Daughter of God to meditate on His word day and night for it to shape the imagination.

So, how do you harness this ability for your good without stepping on God's toes or out of line?

Log on next time and find out how.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t? Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

What is the Work of the Believer?

Let's go all the way to the beginning. God made man and woman on the sixth day (ref.: Genesis 1:26-28). They were the very last of His creation. Immediately after He saw that all His creation was good, He rested from His creation, thus blessing the seventh day, the day of rest (ref.: Genesis 2:3). The day of the Sabbath was when the man and the woman received all that was given. The Sabbath was made for man to enter into God's abundance.

God built a system, which we could liken to a company. In Genesis 2:15, the Lord God gave man His job, which was to tend the Garden where He placed Him. In other words, the man's job was to manage the Garden, thus ensuring the system God designed was going according to plan.

Man wasn't working for food to eat, clothes to wear, shelter or any need, because all His needs were already met before he was created. God anticipated all of man's needs. But that's not what we see today, why?

Adam (the man) and the woman (who was later named Eve) went against the warning of God and as such were put out of the Garden. Adam and Eve had lost their spiritual connection with God and were dying off.

As Adam and Eve were out of the Garden, Adam began to toil the ground for food (ref.: Genesis 3:17-19). This was where he began to work and sweat for his food, clothing, shelter, and every other need. And this is where the world got it from, it wasn't the way God made man, from the beginning. It wasn't his design.

Jesus died for the whole world, and anyone who confesses Him as Lord and believes that God raised Him from the dead is saved (ref.: Romans 10:9), thus redeemed back to God with a brand new life. So, are those redeemed meant to toil and sweat as the world does?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:32, ³¹“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

Jesus made it clear that it isn't normal to worry about needs because our heavenly Father, who is God Almighty knows that we need all these things, and has sorted it out.

So, verse 33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." This implies that we are to live as Sons and Daughters, to live as stewards who tend or take care of wherever He sends us. And whatever we do shouldn't be because of getting our needs met, because they are already met. So, how do we tap into the amazing "work" of the believer?

John 6:28-29 says, ²⁸"Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”"

For every Son or Daughter of God, their work is to believe in Christ Jesus whom God sent. Wow! This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. He is the one who leads us on the path of righteousness, in line with the word of Truth/God.

It may sound silly to base your life on the word of God and on the leading of the Holy Spirit. But sadly, the world has been wrong since the fall of Adam and came to meet the wrong way of life and called it normal.

Hebrews 4:10-11 says, ¹⁰"For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. ¹¹Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

We are to enter the rest of the Lord. And those who have entered His rest have ceased from his or her work. This doesn't mean being idle, but being led by the Holy Spirit in line with the word of God, that is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path (ref.: Psalm 119:105).

So, verse 11 of Hebrews 4 asks us to be diligent to enter the rest of the Lord. King James says we should labour to enter His rest. We have to believe that Jesus is our rest, and in Him alone, we will find our purpose, and He has taken care of all our needs.

Our work is believing in all of whom Christ Jesus is. This activates all God has given us by grace in Christ Jesus, thus resting in all Christ has done. We are to operate and live in His rest.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)