God values every human. In Matthew 10 Jesus was talking about not being afraid of your enemies. In verse 29 he let us know how important we are and that He watches everything that is done even to the least of his creations. In verse 30 he confirms our importance..."And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
The question then is....If God values you life so much that he even numbers the hairs on your head (which for me may take several angels just to keep the record straight) - how will he react when someone destroys His creation?
People rarely think about this side of the issue. Most Christians are taught to go the extra mile, give the last penny, suffer for Christ and give 100%. After all, the man we follow gave his life for all of us. He was the ultimate sacrifice. Do we need to do all that? Of course!
The problem is that while we study about giving and sacrifice - we must understand that there is a balance. Jesus sacrificed in order to accomplish a goal. He asks us to sacrifice in order to accomplish a goal. Sacrifice or destruction just for the sake of destruction is actually a sinful act. It's the same a suicide. It destroys God's creation and we are not allowed to do that!
For example....We do not have the right to destroy someone physically and we do not have the right to destroy a person mentally or emotionally. God is not about destruction!
So....what will he say on the day of judgement when we stand before him and he asks..."What did you do with the talents I gave you?"
Let's suppose some talented young man gives this answer....."Well, God....it's like this. I know you gave me a singing talent but my wife wasn't on board with that. She didn't like me in the spotlight and well...she wanted a more normal life. I tried talking with her but it escalated to arguments and finally she said she would divorce me if I didn't get a normal job. And you know....you said that you hated divorce, so I quit my pursuit and love of music and I got a job so I could save my marriage."
Let's look at scripture for this one. In Matthew 25: 14-30 Jesus told a parable about three men whose master gave them talents (money) before he left on a journey. Two men did their best to increase the money. The third man wasn't a bad man - he was a frightened man. He knew the owner was hard to deal with and he was afraid that if he tried to increase the money and instead lost it that the owner would be angry. So...he took the money and hid it in the ground. In verse 26 Jesus showed no compassion for this man.
*Remember parables are just stories Jesus made up to prove his points and to share his understanding of God's laws.
In verse 26- 30 Jesus was incredibly hard on this man. "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant!...Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents....And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Whoa! That's really harsh. Jesus is not compassionate with people who destroy the talents he has entrusted to them. That poses an important question for victims of abuse, victims of mental stress and victims of past experiences. If God has placed certain talents within you, which is more important....to stay in a destructive situation or to get out where you can actually promote your God given talents?
Do you have a friend that constantly puts you down and makes you feel so defeated that you wouldn't dare share your talents with your Sunday school class?
Do you have a pastor who wouldn't let God share a testimony in the pulpit unless he presented references and went through a vetting process? You feel like you have a talent but wouldn't dare offer it to your pastor.
Do you have a God given talent that you want to pursue but your spouse keeps your self-esteem so low there's no way you would ever cross them to take a stand for truth?
Does your job provide a great salary but limits your ability to pursue your talents?
Why are you so afraid of leaving those situations in pursuit of God's will for your life? Will you be punished at the judgement for turning away from or hiding the talents God has given you?
God has a purpose for your life! God gave you talents that are different from everyone else in the world. God demands that you protect and promote those talents. God must come first! In Matthew 10:37 Jesus said, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
In other words....nothing in this world should come between you and God. And....nothing in this world should keep you from promoting the talents God has given you. Every Christian should be aware that the destruction of your talents is not right. We must all work together to assure that every individual within the body is doing what God created him/her to do.
God loves you,
Debbie
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