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Gifts from God

December 19, 2025

Zechariah 7:8-8:8|Psalm 40| Revelation 5:6-14| Matthew 25:14-30

We receive gifts, resources, and opportunities from God and need to use them to honor God’s purposes.

In this Parable of the Talents, the master is leaving on a trip and calls 3 of his slaves in to gift them with “talents” or money to use, each according to his abilities. 

The one given 5 talents made 5 additional talents.  The one given 2 talents made 2 additional talents.  And the one given 1 talent, buried it, each as they believed the master would have wanted them to do. 

The master returned from his trip and went to each of the slaves to settle with them.  The first two slaves he responded so positively to, telling them they had done well, and were trustworthy.  As a result, he put them in charge of things, giving them responsibilities, and invited them to “enter into the joy of your master.”  However, the third slave told the master that he believed him to be harsh, and he feared what he might do to him.  So he hid the talent in the ground and then returned the talent to the master.  The master was not happy with him, and told him he should have invested the money, and then return it to him with interest.  So, the master took the third slave’s talent and gave it to the slave with 10 talents. 

The master said “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

For some reason, I hummed in my head “This Little Light of Mine” written by Harry Dixon in the 1920s, while I read this parable!  Many verses were added to his over the years, but the one that kept coming to me was

Hide it under a bushel?  No!

I’m going to let it shine

Hide it under a bushel?  No!

I’m going to let it shine

Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.

God gives each of us many different kinds of gifts.  Some are larger gifts, and some seem very small. We can choose to use them, multiply them, share them–using them for God’s glory.  Or we can hide them under a bushel, just as the one slave did. 

What does God want you to do with the gifts He has given you?  Are you aware of God’s gifts?  How can you discover them?  How can you make the best use of them to honor God? 

Don’t be afraid.  Make use of yours now!

Pat Cichy