It got me thinking about a story Jesus told in the bible...
"Because you buried you're 1.8 MlLLl0N that I GAVE you, I'm taking it away from you and giving it to somebody else... and leaving you with none!"
That's what the master told the servant who buried the money he gave him in the parable of the talents.
But, why did Jesus tell the parable in the first place?
Jesus told it in response to a question He himself had just asked the crowd...
"Who then is considered a faithful and wise servant?"
He went on to say...
"Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions"
So, already Jesus established that God considers you faithful and wise when you put what he gave you to work.
And that when you do, He will massively multiply it.
But, maybe just to be super clear, Jesus then told the parable of the talents.
In that story, a master gives 3 men talents (worth varying amounts of miIIions).
The first man he gave 5 talents.
The second he gave 2 talents.
And the third he gave 1 talent.
The man with 5, turned it into 10.
The man with 2, turned it into 4.
But the man he gave 1, buried it.
He did nothing with it.
So, the master took the one talent and gave it to the man who produced 5!
What's interesting to me is that so many people view Jesus as some poor socialist keeping things equal here on earth.
But, before He told this story, Jesus said...
"The Kingdom will be like this..."
Meaning, He's literally describing how God's economy works.
God is an amazing and giving Master who first GIVES you EVERYTHING you need.
Literally everything.
Then, He expects you to use what he gave you in a way that multiplies it.
To use your skills, your vision, your desires, your talents... all of it!
And to go to work with it and turn it into more.
THEN, you can be considered faithful and wise enough to get more.
To the 2 who multiplied the blessings given, the master said...
"Well done good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things, now I will give you many!"
The ones who produced, literally got more and more and more.
The one who took the gift and buried it then stomped it into the ground never to be seen, not only had it taken...
But it was given to the ones who worked to turn their gifts into more.
What's my point in all of this?
You serve a generous God who has given you much.
You have massive amounts of talent, skills, and gifts...
PLUS, the vision and desires to use them.
Don't waste the gift.
Don't bury them.
Even if you think you were only given one gift, consider that the single talent in the parable was worth an estimated 1.8 MiIIion.
You've been given much!
God is waiting on you to use it.
There are people, and causes, and communities that are waiting for you to act, because as you multiply your gift...
Others around you benefit.
Like Topper did from my book.
If I never wrote it, maybe Topper would have stayed "Fuzzy" forever and never figured it out.
Now, Topper has a step by step plan to turn the vision, desires, skills, and talents God gave him into more.
And when he does, people around him will benefit.
And that's how God's econony works.
He blesses you with much and only asks you to use it, so others can benefit.
Then, God knowing He can trust what matters most to Him with you (His people)...
He will give you more and more and more.
And it's an exponential cycle of turning gifts into blessings.
So, as we start the new year, maybe think about what God has given you.
If you're not sure, I believe the best place to start is with your desires, and your vision.
Then, ask yourself...
"How can I use what I already have to turn these deisres and vision into reality."
And just by starting, I think you might be surprised at what happens.
As you work, doors open.
As you work, blessings appear.
As you work, people will start to be positively impacted by your work.
As you work, more of everything you need will be released to you by God while He says to you...
"Well done my good and faithful servant. Because you could be trusted with little, I will put you in charge of much."
What a beautiful economy that is.
God gives.
You multiply.
Others benefit.
God gives more.
And this exponential force of giving impacts the world in the most positive ways possible.
Again, if you're ready to turn your desires and vision into skills and talents that open up God's economy to you...
I believe with all my heart, my book started as a vision from God that I went to work on.
Nick Bramble
Love God. Love people
