Talents

“The kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” Matthew 25:14,15.

On Sabbath, December 29111, at the conference in Sydney, Australia the young people presented a program on Talents. The youth ranged in age from 9 to 24. We were blessed by the messages the young people brought so we want to share them with you.

KINDNESS:

Last week I read a story about kindness. Uncle Arthur drove his car out of London when suddenly he came into a dense fog at night. So dense that he couldn’t even see a white line or the curb of the road. Suddenly the wheels went bump, bump, bump, bump, and when he got out of the car he saw that he had driven over the curb onto the sidewalk. It looked as though he had to stay there all night, or at least until the fog had lifted.

Suddenly there appeared a little boy with a flashlight beside his window and said, “May 1 help you?” Uncle Arthur said, “You couldn’t help me with that little flashlight, not even my big car lights can help me.” But he answered, “1 shine against the curb and you follow slowly.” And he went ahead of me, and 1 could just see the curb and barely him So he walked in front of me, at least 2 km until the fog lifted. When I stopped to thank him; he was suddenly gone. Probably he had gone back to help someone else.

“And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32.

And if we meet kind people it makes us happy. And it makes us think, let us be kind to one another.

MONEY:

Money can be two things, a blessing or a curse. “He who realizes that his money is a talent from God will use it economically, and will feel it his duty to save that they may give.” FLB 162.

Money is a blessing, but having too much can be a curse. “The ~rd has lent men talents to improve. Those whom He has entrusted with money are to bring their talent of means to the master. Men and women of influence are to use that which God has given them” RC 29

If the Lord entrusts us with money we should not use it for our own selfish purposes. We should use it to the glory of God. ill the days of Ellen White, the use of self-denial boxes was greatly encouraged by her. ill this way money that was to be spent on luxuries and candy could be put in these boxes and sent to missions. Thus a lot of money was sent to foreign countries for the aid of missionaries. Today there is a mad rush for money. Men will go to the jaws of death for more wages. “Money has great value because it can do great good. In the hands of God’s children it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, clothing for the naked. It is a defense for the oppressed and a means of help to the sick. But money is of no more value than the sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life in blessing others, and in advancing the cause of Christ.” COL 351.3. Let us not waste money for our own selfish purposes.

INFLUENCE:

You can be an influence for good or evil. Through Christ, God has invested man with an influence that makes it impossible for him to live for himself. As Christians we have an influence on the people that we come into contact with. No man can be independent of his fellow men. standing under mutual obligations. Our words, our acts, our dress, the way we carry ourselves – even the expression on our face, has an influence. “Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Jesus we co-operate with Him in the work of saving souls. It is only by revealing in our own life His character that we can co- operate with Him And the wider the sphere of our influence, the more good we may do.” COL 340. Those that act in a Godly fashion cause a chain reaction, influencing others to do well.

Throw a pebble into a lake, and a wave is formed, and as they increase, the circle reaches the shore. So with our influence. Beyond our knowledge or control it tells upon others in blessing or in cursing. There are two kinds of influence. Good and evil. One is sincere, open honest and a minority in today’s society. The other is very wildespread, cunning, sophisticated and undercover.

“It should never be forgotten that influence is no less a power for evil. To lose one’s own soul is a terrible thing; but to cause the loss of other souls is even more terrible.” COL 340. That our influence could be used for death is a fearful, yet possible thought. Many in the church indulge in criticism and accusing. Sister White says that church members by giving expression to suspicion, jealousy and discontent, yield themselves to Satan. Frivolity, selfishness and indifference on the part of professed Christians turns souls from the path of life.

“It is only through God’s grace that we can make a right use of this endowment. There is nothing in us of ourselves by which we can influence others to good.” COL 341. If we realize our helplessness we shall not trust ourselves. I pray that every person’s influence in here may be a silent, unconscious but mighty power in drawing others to Christ and the heavenly world.

HEALTH

Health is a blessing which few appreciate the value of. Yet upon it the efficiency of our mental and physical powers largely depends. Our impulses and passions have their seating in the body, and it must be kept in the best condition physically and under the most spiritual influences in order that our talents may be put to the highest use.

Anything that lessens our physical strength enfeebles the mind and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. We become less capable of choosing the good and have less strength of will to do that which we know to be right.

The relation of the physical organism to the spiritual life is one of the most important branches of education. All need to become acquainted with their physical structure and the laws that control natural life. He who remains in willing ignorance is sinning against God. All should place themselves in the best possible relation to life and health. Our habits should be brought under the control of a mind that is itself under the control of God.

In Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 69, we read that the health reforn1 is the right hand of the Third Angel’s Message because it can help man to understand the will of God for His people and what the will of God for His people is in the final events on this earth’s history.

We also read on page 91 that “In order to have good health, we must have good blood; for the blood is the current of life. It repairs waste, and nourishes the body. When supplied with proper food elements and when cleansed and vitalized by contact with pure air, it carries life and vigour to every part of the system. The more perfect the circulation, the better this work will be accomplished.”

And in Ministry of Healing, page 310 it says, “A disordered stomach produces a disordered, uncertain state of mind. Often it causes irritability, harshness, or injustice. Many a plan that have been a blessing to the world has been set aside, many unjust, oppressive, even cruel measures have been carried, as the result of diseased conditions due to wrong habits of eating.”

All who understand the laws of health should realize their obligation to obey these laws, which God established for their being. Obedience to the laws of health is to be made a matter of personal duty.

 

STRENGTH

The most beautiful strength which the Lord can give to His children is health, strength and a comprehension of the things that the Lord places at the disposition of His children. He gives to His children this talent but we must cultivate it. Why must we cultivate it? We must cultivate it, because “Christ was a true worker in temporal as well as in spiritual things, and into all his work he brought a determination to do His father’s will.” COL, p. 348. How can you obtain these things? It is only by faith. Let us remember Moses, Noah and Abraham It is by faith that they were the friends of God and that they were justified.

If the Lord gave wisdom, grace and strength to the workers to build the earthly tabernacle, he can also give us all those things. For “it is just as essential to do the will of God when erecting a building as when taking part in a religious sense. And if the workers have brought the right principles into their own character making, then in the erection of every building, they will grow in grace and knowledge.” COL 350

The Lord gave Joseph and Daniel great strength. What was this strength? It was to righteously manage the possessions of their masters. They received the intellectual strength and also the physical strength. If they had this strength, it is because they did don’t seek their own pleasures but looking only at the achievement of the will of God. The lives of Joseph and Daniel are a lesson to help us to form this strength of character which they had.
Let us pray to the Lord so that He will give us this strength.

MENTAL FACULTIES

The brain is what makes or gives the human being power to discern many things including the difference between right and wrong.

The human mind if pushed can achieve many things but through the Lord it can do things that are hUt1:Janly impossible. Without God the human mind can become a tool of the devil.

God requires the training of the mental faculties. He designs that His servants shall possess more intelligence and clearer discernment than the worldling, and He is displeased with those who are too careless or too indolent to become efficient, well informed workers. The Lord bids us love Him with all our strength. And with the entire mind we may know and love our creator.

The Lord also desires us to obtain all the education possible, with the object in view of imparting our knowledge to others. None can know where or how they may be called to labour or to speak for God. Our heavenly Father alone sees what He can make of men.

Let the youth of today who desire an education set to work with determination in order to obtain it. We should not wait for an opening but instead we should take hold of every opportunity and practice economy. We must not spend our money and resources for our own pleasure but we must be thorough and efficient in what ever we do especially, if we are doing it for the Lord.

The people in this world who are always trying to get knowledge to be a blessing to their fellow man will receive a great blessing from God. Through the study of the Holy Scriptures their mental powers will be aroused to activity like never before. There will be an expansion and development of the facilities, and the mind will become very powerful and efficient.
We have a choice, either we can expand our mind through the constant study of the Bible in combination with other types of book learning and manual labour or we can go drift onto Satan’s ground becoming lazy and rarely using the mind for anything good or useful. The choice is yours.

TIME

Everyone has the talent of time. Our time belongs to God. Life is too short to waste time in idleness and sin. T1Ille that is wasted can never be called back. However we can redeem wasted time by witnessing to others. Now it is time that we. make an effort for others salvation.

Often when we want to take time to pray, Satan makes us think of all these things that we have to do immediately.
On Sabbath mornings, Satan makes us think of things that need to be done before we leave for church. Often these things make us late. We would never dare to be late to our job or to school, but when it comes to church, we are not so diligent with our time and we don’t make as much of an effort to be on time. We don’t think it matters that much. Brothers and Sisters, What’s more important? Being late for an appointment with Jesus or being late for worldly responsibilities? What would happen if we were late to heaven? We would be like the 5 foolish virgins. They were late to the wedding feast and the door was closed and they were not allowed to go in. It would really be sad if we were late also because we could not go in.

How did Mary and Martha spend their time? Martha was so particular about her housework that she did11’t have time for Jesus. Mary left the housework for a while and went to listen to Jesus. Some people are so particular about their house being spotless that they don’t have any time to read their Bible and pray. By the end of the day they are so tired from picking up every dust particle that they just collapse in bed at night. But this does not mean that we should not neglect housework and have messy, Unclean houses. We should keep them clean and tidy, but not be so particular that we have very little time to study the Bible and pray.

There are many instances when time is wasted, like when we are on the bus or train, or waiting for meals, or even waiting in a doctor’s office. At all these times we are tempted to pick up the worldly reading material in the doctor’s office, but Sister White says that we should carry a Bible or other religious book with us so that we can read a verse or paragraph in these little bits of time that are normally wasted. We would get a lot more Bible reading done this way.

We all have to work or go to school and that is time well spent, but often the time that is not so wisely used is leisure time. What does Sister White mean when she says in the book Early Writings on page 58? “What leisure time we have should be spent in searching the Bible, which is to judge us in the last day.” Does she mean that as soon as we finish our day at work or school that we pullout our Bible and read the Bible until we go to bed? When we get home, there is usually work to do also around the house, but there will always be free time and there is danger that we use the free time in the wrong way. We should aim for about an hour a day in Bible study, but we could also spend some of our free time doing missionary work. We do need to have a balance because we need some quiet time for ourselves also. When we take walks along the beach or in the parks, we can be in quiet communion with Jesus.

The angels write down every detail of our lives – what we have done every second of the day. In the judgment God will require a strict account of how we have used our time. Every moment is precious. We have no time to waste. No time to devote to selfish pleasure. No time for the indulgence of sin. It is now that we are to form characters for the future immortal life. It is now that we are to prepare for the searching judgment.

MUSIC

Music is something that can be a beautiful talent and tool in pushing forward the Lord’s work, but at the same time can be so satanic that people who listen to it are led to think and do many evil and devilish things.

Ellen G White’s writings and the Bible are very positive about music used in glorifying God and, in fact, they say that this kind of music is just as important as prayer. Here is some of what Ellen G. White has to say about the talent of music
“Song is one of the most effective means of impressing spiritual truth upon the heart. Often by the words of sacred song, the springs of penitence and faith have been unsealed.

“The song of praise, the prayer, the words spoken by Christ’s representatives, are God’s appointed agencies to prepare a people for the church above, for that loftier worship into which there can enter nothing that defileth.

“The melody of song, poured forth from many hearts in clear, distinct utterance, is one of God’s instrumentalities ducted with solemnity and awe as if in the visible presence of the Master of assemblies.”

In this quote we see clearly that if music is used in the right way it can be a great way of impressing truth on the minds of unbelievers. Another thing Ellen G. White says about music is this “I call your attention to the singing talent which should be cultivated; for the human voice in singing is one of God’s entrusted talents to be employed to His glory.” So as we can see, the human voice is something that can be used for the honour and glory of God today.

I remember when we went to the conferences in Canada – the main thing that always impressed me was the singing and playing of the young people. It was so beautiful and at the same time it had “Electrifying power” exactly like the simple music that the early Adventists played which although was not fancy with all kinds of special effects like today. It had something that all the best popular music of today doesn’t have – the sweet, clear, and yet powerful messages from a living God.

The Bible also mentions quite a bit about music. First in 2 Chronicles 20:22 we read ” And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments, against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.” What a way to go into battle, singing and praising the Lord. Their songs possessed the beauty of holiness and if only more singing and praising of the Lord was done we would not have any more wars.

Music is a great talent and whether you go to nursing homes to comfort the old folks, play at church for the honour and glory of God, or just sing wherever you are – Jesus and the angels are sure to join in and some needy soul is bound to hear you. Imagine how beautiful it will be in heaven with all the heavenly hosts singing at the tops of their voices praising the Redeemer for eternity.

Another story that also happened in Canada is there was this one soul who came to church fairly often, but still had his own views on most everything. However, no matter how much he disagreed with us on religious topics, when we sang some old hymns that he remembered from his childhood the Lord touched his heart and he would sing all of them and in many of them he would shed tears of joy.

Unfortunately, Satan has perverted music in such a way as to make it very pleasing to the ear but having a terrible corrupting influence to the mind. We see a great example of this in the Bible in Exodus 32:18 where it says “And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.” In this verse Moses was coming down from Mt. Sinai just after a long talk with God. When he comes close to the camp he hears not sounds of people in trouble but instead sounds of people singing and dancing around a golden calf. As soon as Moses had left the camp certain people had gotten the idea that since he was gone God must have left them so Satan came into their heads and they ended up in a very bad situation going directly against God’s commands. I think it is plain and simple that worldly music is something that we Christians should stay completely away from. Satan is especially out to get the youth of today with songs about unrealistic and perverted love, and although these songs sound very nice to the human ear they are completely out of line with God’s plan for our lives.

There are so many types of music in so many different fancy forms in today’s world that it is hard not to stay away from it. Most of the music in the world is extremely exciting and stimulating exactly what Ellen G. White writes against because she says that it is best for the young and old to have as little stimulation as possible. We Christians have to learn to stay away from all the music of this world at all costs.

There are many more reasons why this music is so bad for our mental and especially our spiritual health. First of all much of the music out there has words and themes that excite the mind to unnecessary and corrupt activity that distracts the mind from God. The words in these songs are often more fit for the city garbage dump, they are that evil and satanic. Also studies have been done on music like heavy metal and it has been found that the song’s lyrics, when played backwards, contain satanic messages that the subconscious mind picks up and stores. In addition the beat of worldly music often makes people just want to let themselves go, and this empties the mind therefore leaving the way open for Satan to come in and plant whatever he wants there. Finally the individuals or groups that play and sing the music of today’s world are often very unstable mentally and this rubs off in their music and of course then affects the listener in a negative way. The music of today looks so nice but just like Satan it is a roaring lion that, given its chance, it will devour.

It is very important that if you have a talent in some kind of musical instrument, or in singing, that you develop it, otherwise you will be just like the man in the Bible who buried his one talent and the Lord then took it away and he was given no place in heaven. Think of it, if everyone in the church who had some kind of musical ability and would at least learn to play the songs in The Church Hymnal then if they happened to visit a church where there was nobody who could play an instrument they could play and, through the grace of Christ, they would be a big encouragement to all. So it is my wish and prayer today that we will give up entirely the music of the world because Jesus is coming soon and none of that garbage will be in the New Jerusalem Instead we should try our utmost to develop our talent of music for the Lord because the talent of music is a very, very important kind of missionary work that has its rightful place in our church today. And of course when we get to heaven we will still be singing and playing praises to the Lord forever.

SPEECH

The power of speech is a talent that most people have and it is one that should be diligently cultivated. Of all the gifts that God has given to man, none are more capable of being a greater blessing for mankind than is this one. With our voice we can give praise and pray to the, Lord. We can also convince and persuade’ others regarding the love of Jesus. It is very important that we train our voice to be a blessing for others.

It. is important not only to praise the Lord but also as we speak it is important that we speak clearly that others may understand. We should cultivate a clear reading voice so that in church when we are asked to read we may read clearly and with expression so that our reading can be easily understood and it will not put others to sleep. Also when we pray, we should pray with clear distinct words so that all in the room may understand. Often the force and impressiveness of a message or reading can be lost because of the tone of voice that is used.

With our voice we can bless others but if we are not careful, we may be a means of discouraging someone. One careless word can discourage a soul. from the truth.

Childrens40ul.d also be taught to speak respect fully and lovingly to their parents as well as to one another. Only words of gentleness and purity should pass by our lips.

Also we should be speaking of Christ to others, especially those who do not know him. We should do as Christ did, (To illustrate this point further, at this point in time Johann read a story and that story you will find in the Children’s Comer for this issue).. Wherever we are, we should watch for opportunities to speak to others of Jesus. This is the very highest work in which we can use our talent of speech.

TALENTS – LIFE

Each of us has been given different talents for different purposes. Some have more and some have less, but we are still to use each one we have to the best of our ability for the service of the Lord. One talent we all have is that of life. Have you ever thought of life as a talent? It is a gift from God.

“I know thy works, that thou has effort to keep up a name! If one has the a name that thou livest, and art dead.” reputation of being a successful Rev. 3: I “God calls upon this church to evangelist, a gifted preacher, a man of make a change. They had a name to live, prayer, a man of faith, a man of special but their works were destitute of the love devotion, there is positive danger that he of Jesus. Oh, how many have fallen will make shipwreck of faith when tried because they trusted in their profession for by the little tests that God suffers to come. salvation! How many are lost by their effort to keep up a name! If one has the reputation of being a successful evangelist, a gifted preacher, a man of prayer, a man of faith, a man of special devotion, there is positive danger that he will make shipwreck of faith when tried by the little tests that God suffers to come. Often his great effort will be to maintain his reputation.

“He who lives in the fear that others do not appreciate his value is losing sight of Him who alone makes us worthy of glorifying God. Let us be faithful stewards over ourselves. Let us look away from self to Christ. Then there will be no trouble at all. All the work done, however excellent it may appear to be, is worthless if not done in the love of Jesus. One may go through the whole round of religious activity, and yet, unless Christ is woven into all that he says and does, he will work for his own glory.” Letter 48, 1903.

If we do our work in the love of Jesus, we will be an example to those around us far greater than we can imagine.
“For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.” Mark 13:34-36. We are the steward. We need to watch and pray in order to be ready for the M1lster’s return, but this involves using all of our talents wisely. We must not be like the servant who hid his talent in the earth. His talent was taken away from him and this will happen to us if there is any talent that we are not using to the best of our ability. Even if we only have one talent – life – we need to be sure we are glorifying God in what we do. Especially in little things like:

-Smiling to a lonely stranger
-Giving a helping hand when needed
-Being kind and polite
-Being understanding to others
-Sharing our faith.

“The physical powers are to be brought into service from love to God. The Lord requires the physical strength, and you can reveal your love for Him by the right use of your physical powers, doing the very work, which needs to be done. There is no respect of persons with God.” 8MS, 1894

“However small your talent, God has a place for it. That one talent, wisely used, will accomplish its appointed work By faithfulness in little duties, we are to work on the plan of addition, and God will work for us on the plan of multiplication. These littlest will become the most precious influences in His work

“Wherever we may be, Christ bids us take up the duty that presents itself. If this is in the home, take hold willingly and earnestly to make home a pleasant place. If you are a mother, train your children for Christ. This is as verily a work for God as is that of the minister in the pulpit Put your mind on what you are doing. In all your work represent Christ. Do as He would do in your place.” COL359/360.