At my house, I have a cherry tree. This tree bears fruit annually, but the harvest lasts only one week. After that week, the cherries begin to rot, even while still on the tree. However, the tree does not lament bearing fruit for just a short time. It does not complain to God about only bearing fruit for one week; it lives according to its purpose: to bear abundant fruit for that week. There are other trees that bear fruit for longer periods, and some even bear fruit all year round.
I am the one who complains and laments that the harvest is short. But the tree is fulfilling the purpose for which it was created: to bear fruit, despite the short duration. The Lord expects you to do something with what you have been given, like the cherry tree. Make it bear fruit, multiply it.
In the parable of the three servants or talents, we see the Lord giving each of them different amounts of talents (coins) before going on a journey. Upon his return, he demands an account of what they did with what he gave them.
“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it’” (Matthew 25:24-27 NLT).
God did not give you something without expecting something in return. He will hold each of us accountable according to what we have been given, based on our abilities. What has He given you? What He gave you was not and is not yours; it is His, and He will ask for what is His.
Has He given you the ability to make money? To sing? To write? To speak? To listen? To advise? To paint? Did He give you a house? A car? What are you doing with all that He has given you?
My cherry tree is just a tree, but it offers its fruit abundantly. Many people who have come to my house have taken cherries from the tree and eaten them. So it is with the talent or gift that God has given you: it is for others to enjoy. God gave you a gift, but it is up to you to perfect it, multiply it, manage it, and distribute it to others. That gift comes from and belongs to God, and He will ask us what we did with it.
God has given us many resources, goods, and abilities, but they are not for us; they are to be used in service to others. So, we should ask ourselves: Am I multiplying, making use of, and maximizing what God has given me? Remember, it is about sharing; do not bury what has been given to you.
Written by Víctor Preza, based on the sermon from 22/06/2024.
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