What has God given you?
- Talents
- Gifts
- Ideas
- Dreams
What are you doing with what He has given you?
In Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable, a short story that makes clear or teaches a truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. The parable is about a man that left to travel to a country far away. Before he left, he gave each of his servants a gold coin, Luke 19:13 Good News Bible. When the servants were given their gold coin, they were told to “Occupy till I come,” Luke 19:13 KJV. The word occupy simply means to 1) take or fill up (space, time, etc.); 2) to engage or employ the mind, energy or attention of. This verse in the Good News Bible is translated, ‘See what you can earn with this while I am gone.’
When the man returned, he called his servants to him to find out what they had done with the gold coin they were given. Each of them had used their gold coin to earn more gold coins, except one servant who had done nothing with his gold coin.
I believe as God takes us through this time of being at home more during this pandemic, it’s also a time we can use to reflect, work on, and/or develop whatever it is He has given us (through our talents, gifts, ideas and dreams). I do realize that although some of you are at home, you are working from home and caring for your children. But there is no commute time, no dropping off or picking up children at school, daycare, bus stops, extracurricular activities, etc. This is time that can be used to spend time in prayer, reading, and working on what God has given you. If you were already doing these things, now you have additional time, whether 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, whatever extra time you have at least some of it can be used for this.
The difference between the man in the parable and God is that He hasn’t left us, He’s right here with us. He just hasn’t released us yet, to be able to go back to doing many of the things we would normally be doing. Once this is all over, some will find they do not need or want to go back to things they were doing that were not a necessity; but, will choose to be consistent with applying the new lifestyle changes developed during the quarantine.
While we are waiting, we can occupy till He comes to release us to get back to the things we need to. Take this time to put things on paper, do the research needed, or whatever it is you need to do and can do from the comfort of your home that pertains to what God has given you.
Don’t be like the servant in Luke 19:20-26, Good News Bible.
Instead, Occupy till He comes.
