Do Something!

The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and
delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another
one, to each according to his own ability.

Matthew 25:14-15 (NKJV)

Jesus told the parable of a man who went away after entrusting money to his servants to invest. The first servant was given five talents, which he turned into ten. The second servant likewise doubled the talents he was given. But the third servant buried his one talent in the ground and did not realize any return because he didn’t use what he was given to produce more for his master.

This third servant just let the season of time pass, allowing any potential to sit dormant. He sat on what he was given. Fear of losing it, fear of failure, and maybe even fear of succeeding all motivated him to do absolutely nothing. Worse than attempting and failing, this man did nothing at all.

He ends up being reprimanded by the owner, and that which was entrusted to him is taken away. Moreover, he loses the confidence of the owner as it relates to his capacity and ability.

Are we like that third servant? We may wrestle with discerning what God wants us specifically to do with our lives. We may live every day trying to fully understand our call and to appropriate our spiritual gifts. We may struggle to find the obedient place of surrender that helps us to fight the flesh and to surrender our lives to the Spirit. We may even be slow to exercise fully the disciplines of the Spirit.

What this text teaches us is that all of that is OK as long as you don't ever settle for doing nothing: No attempt to better your life or its position. No attempt to understand the reason God wired you. No thought of what your gifts are and how God intended for them to be used in the world. No attempt to feed the spirit or the brain. No desire to put away childish things in pursuit of godly things.

There is no guesswork here. The one thing there is no excuse for is doing nothing to better your life, to honor God more faithfully, or to understand more of His will for your lived experience.

No life is meant to be lived burying the gifts given to it. Not when these gifts have come from such a gracious God. All He wants you to do is try. And even if your five don’t produce another five, then so be it. Or if your one produces ten, then so be it. But you’ll never see what your faith is able to produce if you don’t activate it and put it into play.

Don’t sit around. Do something for the Lord!