“For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night… let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake.”  1 Thessalonians 5.2,6

How often do we realize, that in light of eternity, we have such a short amount of time here on earth? And only a certain amount of time, different for each one of us. Yet to each of us it is given to accomplish what? The gospel of Matthew(25.14-30) will shed light on it for us; the parable of the talents shows us that to each of these three people was given a certain entrustment from their master. These ‘talents’ were theirs to do with as they pleased; on their masters return the first two doubling what their master had given them while the third, the one to whom was entrusted the least, hid his in the ground so as not to lose it. In the end he is the one who loses everything. This third may have done nothing wrong, however it was in failing to do something that his fault lay. In the same way we have each been given certain ‘talents’ with which to increase the kingdom; the blessings we have received, our vocation and our work, the gifts we have received from our creator. One a doctor, another a teacher, a father/mother, a gifted musician, a heart for service. We are to use our state in life and our gifts and blessings to increase in the world God’s great love and the glory of His kingdom.

As an example of this, I would like to highlight some verses from the book of Proverbs(31.10-13,16-18, 20, 26,28-31). The women in these verses remains vigilant in her ‘work’, gathering and keeping her lamp lit through the night. Directly after these lines we hear how she, “opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” This woman exemplifies for us what it looks like to be vigilant and to use our ‘talents’ in the right way.

So let us be vigilant, knowing not the day nor the hour when we will be called from this earth, recognizing that our time here on earth is, literally speaking, sacred. And let us ponder the blessings, gifts, and vocation that God has given us to increase His kingdom, that in our time we may find ourselves there with Him! May we not waste our time and our ‘talents’ ending up, with even what we do have, lost forever!

Focus Verses:

Proverbs 31.10-13,16-18,20,26,28-31

Psalm 128

1 Thessalonians 5.1-6

Matthew 25.14-30