Yesterday our vicar preached on the parable of the talents from Matthew 25. This is a very familar parable to many of us but he made some good points which I have mentioned briefly below.

Interestingly at the start of the parable we are told that each person was given a different number of talents. However what is important in this parable is not the number of talents that they had been given but how they used them. It is better to use a few talents wisely then to be given many talents and not use them.

So why did the person not use the one talent that they had been given? Or maybe more relevantly why do we not use the talents that God has given us? Fear, laziness, apathy and disobedience can be reasons that stop us using our talents. If we don’t use the gift God has given us we let Him down and also other people as well. How many people will miss being blessed because we have not used our talents wisely?

Imagine that after you died your headstone said, “He nearly did that.” That would be so sad to see. So much that we could or might have done but the opportunity would be lost for ever, a wasted life.

It does take courage to obey God. Faith involves risk! Life is what we do with God’s gift and we should be willing to step out, take risks and undertake acts of courage.

We must use our talents to honour God and bless others. We may lose our talents if they are not used – use it or lose it!