Any doubt that God wants His children to lead a profitable life will vanish when one considers the parable of the talents. In summary, a merchant gave talents to his servants before embarking on a journey. The first servant got five; the second, two; and the third, one. Those who got five and two respectively went and traded with their talents and made a hundred percent profit. The third servant who got one did nothing with it and made no increase. Our text captures the reaction of the boss when he returned. The master expected some increase at the least. When he did not get this, he was enraged, condemning the servant as unfaithful.
Here is the moral of the parable. We are all blessed with abilities. If we work with our abilities, not only are we going to be profitable to the kingdom, but our lives will be advanced as well. Whatever talent you have is your start-up capital to success and greatness; don’t disregard it. God’s word says that if we know what is right to do but fail to do it, it is reckoned as a sin. Borrowing from this thought, we might add: it is a sin if we have what is required to be successful and end up as failures. We have what it takes to do well in life and bring glory to God; and we cannot afford to do otherwise.