Matthew 25:15, commentary and pictures

The departing master leaves his own goods in his servants' hands to trade with until he comes, giving five talents to one, two to another and one to another, to every man according to his several ability. It is the last of the public parables about the second advent, warning that since the day and hour are unknown watching means diligent working and not idle waiting. God in infinite wisdom measures what each can bear and use, so from the lowliest to the highest every person receives something and no one is excused, yet no one is required to gain what was never given. What is entrusted remains the Lord's capital, whether means, body, mind, time, influence or truth, and it must be put promptly to work for others' good and soul-winning so it doubles and returns with increase. When after a long time he returns to reckon closely with each by name, faithful traders enter his joy and rulership over many things, while the servant who buries his trust from fear and a false view of his master loses even what he had and is cast out as wicked and slothful.

Verse Wording and Setting

The verse describes a master dividing his own goods among three servants before leaving, giving five talents to one, two to another, and one to another, to every man according to his several ability, then straightway taking his journey and leaving the capital in their hands to trade and occupy till he comes. The amounts are deliberately unequal yet proportioned to known capacity to use them, and the talents so lent represent responsibilities, resources, time, abilities, possessions and money borrowed from God and not owned by the receivers, for which each must serve faithfully, develop what was given, consecrate soul, body and spirit to God's will, and answer when reckoned with at return.

The verse belongs to the parable of the talents about the second advent, spoken by Jesus to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, coming after warnings to watch and be ready because no one knows the day nor the hour of the Son of man's coming and after signs of its nearness, and following the ten virgins. It is the last of the many parables in Christ's public teachings to the disciples, spoken early in the morning after He had crossed the mount as a warning about His second appearing in the clouds of heaven. To watch for His coming means the time is to be spent not in idle waiting but in diligent, earnest, vigilant working as well as waiting, preparing and watching, with each person from the lowliest and most obscure to the highest and most influential taking up decided service in the vineyard, bearing fruit in godly life, obedience and unselfish service according to what was entrusted, so that diligent use whether great or small brings returns as the Lord's portion.

The servants given five and two put theirs to work, trade, gain an equal amount again, and double what was given. After a long time the lord reckons with them and commends the faithful trader as good and faithful, makes him ruler over many things, and bids him enter into the joy of his lord, with faithful use returning principal with interest bringing greater trust and abundance. The servant given one talent does not improve it but hides it digged in the earth, acts grudgingly, excuses slothfulness by claiming God is a hard man reaping where He has not sown and gathering where He has not strawed, and says from fear he would not be benefited because God would gather the improvement Himself. His lord calls him wicked and slothful, says he ought to have put the money to the exchangers so it would return with usury, takes the talent from him to give to him who has ten talents, for unto every one that hath shall be given abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath, and casts the unprofitable servant into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, with fearful or selfish failure forfeiting what was entrusted and ending in judgment and condemnation in the great day of final reckoning.

The parable illustrates the kingdom of heaven as a stewardship in which a master entrusts different amounts before leaving, pointing to a day of accounting, and it illustrates the last general and investigative judgment. In that judgment the use made of every trust will be examined — powers of mind and body, time, thought, skill, speech, money, influence, and the light of God's word — to be used for God's glory and the good of others including the poor and afflicted, each character appearing as it is, people receiving according to deeds, and obedience or disobedience deciding the outcome. Mere profession of faith has no value as evidence of genuine faith, while love shown in works is counted genuine, and whatever is done from love, however small it may seem to people, is accepted and rewarded by God. The lesson applies to each person individually, teaching faithful and careful use of accurately what God has entrusted and working in faith as colaborers with Christ and vessels unto honor.

The heavenly Master is now on His journey and the talents are now in human hands for a short gracious opportunity of probation to trade today and occupy till Christ comes. The present is the time to use God-given capabilities in service, to ask what of the Lord's is in possession and how to use it for God's glory by investing for salvation of fellow men, advancing God's cause and relieving the widow and fatherless, and to compare the life with Christ's teaching in Matthew 25:14-46, examining how opportunities have been used and whether talents have been put to work with self-denying, self-sacrificing zeal. Church membership alone does not secure entrance into heaven, and boasting and self-sufficiency are fearfully dangerous making Christ's words of no effect, calling each to yield as a servant in obedience to the right master in humble faithful service. Tomorrow probation may end and the account be fixed forever with the work reckoned with and each giving an account, since there is no later probation to rely on and no second chance, while abused talents for pride, position, extravagance, vain show, ambition and profligate selfishness reflect a terrible curse, and faithful unselfish use glorifies God, gathers rich blessings and gratitude from those helped, makes the soul like a watered garden whose waters fail not, and gives inexpressible joy at reaping time in seeing gathered sheaves as the recompense of fidelity.

The gifts first placed in the hands of the twelve apostles have continued through later generations to Christ's workers, who are to improve what they have received.

Distribution According to Ability

God gives different amounts to different people, five talents to one, two to another, and one to another, more to some and less to others, deliberately and not capriciously, to every person according to known capacity to use them and to the work called for, including gifts, abilities, work, responsibilities, resources and opportunities, whether one or five or ten. Temporal means and money as well as ability to preach and teach are lent in this proportion and remain his property to be traded and doubled through practical benevolence for the salvation of sinners, and rightly understood this bars covetousness which is idolatry. Having only one talent or little worldly wealth is no excuse to leave it unused, for even one talent can increase through use and a humble gift or service can reach people whom greater talents cannot.

God himself in infinite wisdom measures each person's ability, knows exactly what burden to lay on him and how to test men and apportion gifts according to known powers, giving each work according to ability as one who knows all things and is acquainted with each one, so those entrusted with much have no ground to boast. The distribution is not capricious but made on trial as stewardship, and day by day he tests whether people acknowledge him as giver, with use of precious endowments deciding worthiness for eternal riches and destiny for eternity. The unequal distribution corrects complaining about inequality of facilities and charges against God, for there is diversity of gifts and there will never be equality in what is entrusted or in what is returned.

Some talent is committed to every human being according to ability from the lowliest and most obscure to the highest and most influential, not to ministers or a favored gifted few only, so there is work and responsibility for all including youth, children, mothers, every man woman and child, young or old, rich or poor, and every church member, with no idlers and none excused, and each has his own work, peculiar gift and special place in heaven's plan. God has entrusted to all people talents of ability, means, and influence, calling some to ministry of the Word and qualifying others by experience and ability for the business part of his cause, requiring each to be a faithful steward to glorify him and build up his kingdom without wasting entrusted means. While people are justified by faith they are judged by works, and from humblest to most exalted a strict account is required of talents and improvement, leaving no excuse for ignorance or idleness because Christ paid the penalty and shed his blood to redeem the world.

God distributes in proportion to power to use and expects returns only according to what was bestowed, accepting faithful use according to what a person has and not what they lack, so he never requires a five-talent gain from a two-talent man or ten from one, one is accountable for that one and not for five or two, and no one is accountable for what was never given or made impossible by poverty, sickness or infirmity. He does not require alms from the poor as from the rich, nor strength and activity from the feeble and suffering as from the healthy, nor the lowly unlearned to exercise intellectual power of one who had advantages, and the one talent used to the best account he accepts. Faithfulness is measured by cheerful employment of what was given rather than amount received, a gift used well can produce further gifts, and writers' ability to write books is likewise held under personal stewardship not to be surrendered to others.

Greater ability, light, privileges and opportunities bring greater responsibility and duty in exact proportion to what each received, those given more have a weight to meet in judgment for improvement or abuse, neglect brings condemnation proportionate to neglect, and he who received more including superior talents is expected to render more, with responsibility also measured by the value a person places on abilities. Faith, obedience and love should develop in keeping with light and grace received, for if faith does not increase light and blessings decrease, and the parable points to final judgment when each case is decided according to faithfulness in work entrusted. Hiding an entrusted talent instead of using it is a fearful failure casting away the crown of life.

Diversity means there will never be equality in what is entrusted or returned, which corrects complaining about inequality and charges against God, and God alone can judge capabilities and measure worth, so people err when they decide who has accomplished most, silence less able workers, despise service of the less gifted, or disparage others, and varied gifts are needed to supply what is lacking in others. Even the smallest trust from God is valuable and when diligently used one talent can be doubled and two increased to four, with far-reaching influence only God can measure. The person with one talent must not bury it but use it where those with greater abilities cannot reach, and value in his sight comes not from number but from appreciation, consecration to his glory rather than self, and humble dependence rendering account.

Abilities shaped by inheritance and training fit for different service, but every worker has gifts that can increase and come under judgment, from least prominent to most capable, with faithful work increasing capacity for spiritual service and requiring fitting return. Amount entrusted makes no difference in obligation, and all must be given wholly to the Lord without misapplying to self, as trustee and steward held to reckoning whether one talent or five or ten, perseveringly seeking him, willing to be anything and do anything, taking up even humblest work under unpleasant circumstances with eye single to his glory. Entrusted property remains his to be put to use without delay in his cause and missionary work, multiplied and returned to him, for withholding through inactivity or selfishness works against God.

The Lord assigns different kinds of work whose value is realized by walking humbly and receiving his help, learning from him and willingly receiving help sent, while relying on own judgment and rejecting that help risks separation from the work. Each should serve in work best adapted to capabilities for God's glory and not hide gifts, putting them to work and increasing them through wise service. Every child of God has something to do for his glory by developing abilities to be a blessing, beginning in the own home and extending to those around, using mental and physical powers wherever placed.

Different gifts and work measured by ability require understanding practical principles and consecrated education, with every student to gain an education usable everywhere to God's glory, consecrating all learned to searching Scripture, giving an influence nothing else can give, bringing joy to believers and light to those in error, for staying ignorant when light can be obtained is wrong. Differing abilities and resources according to capacity must be returned with increase in active unselfish service in view of his soon coming, multiplying by use to help the church become a light, helping others walk the narrow path, supporting the work and preserving institutions in need.

Christ entrusts talents as capital expecting proportionate interest, with greater entrustments bringing greater responsibility, yet even one talent can be doubled repeatedly, for talents are light and knowledge to be imparted by deportment corresponding with profession, and burying them in frivolity, worldliness, love of money and self-centered failure to act brings the unfaithful servant's fate. No responsibility is to be trifled with, unwearied diligence in trading upon dollars or only cents rests under blessing, God does not despise small beginnings, wise use of littles brings wonderful increase, and one wisely used brings two. Those with greater opportunities and clearer understanding of Scripture bear greater responsibility, greater natural ability brings greater duty to cultivate mind for his glory, and one not eloquent can still present truth in simplicity, do best according to ability, and by humble trusting work grow from one to two and add two more continually.

Ownership and Steward Identity

What is handed over is the Lord's own goods, property, capital and money, lent in trust and never owned by those who receive it, held only as stewards, trustees and almoners to be consecrated, managed wisely and returned with increase and not spent as pleased by human judgment but used according to the directions of His Word. It belongs to God by creation and redemption, purchased by Christ's blood, and even the increase still belongs to Him, including soul, body and spirit with time, abilities, possessions, influence, means and every endowment, to be sacredly employed to do His will and not trifled with, invested and traded and not hoarded, left dormant or buried in the earth. Whether much or little is received, each is to do his utmost to honor God, for gifts improve and multiply when used in His service, returns are expected according to what was bestowed, every returning talent will be scrutinized, and reward and punishment will be proportionate to improvement or abuse, for the Master requires His own with usury.

Christ is the departing man going from earth to heaven, and His servants are those professing His service, who are not their own because He purchased them with His blood and humiliation and agony for salvation, so all people and every son and daughter of Adam belong to God, are bought with a price, bear His stamp and image, and are called to live for Him with full surrender of soul, body, spirit and all energies and to answer for their service. The ransom price paid for each one lays allegiance and service upon the ransomed, and refusing that allegiance does not shield from responsibility at the last day for neglect, reproach and robbery of God in withholding and burying the Lord's goods. As a mortal, judgment-bound agent partaking of the divine nature, a person is claimed wholly by God through the entire probationary time and must make daily a full and unreserved surrender, devoting the whole being to Him under His unrivaled authority, because there is but little time to work now and what was received must be returned to Him doubled to His name's glory.

Life itself is a costly talent and sacred trust expressing God's ownership by creation and redemption, bought at the cost of Christ's death, sustained moment by moment by God who keeps the living machinery in motion in sleep, keeps the heart beating independently of the will, and watches with guardian eye, to be valued as God values it, studied in its mystery and responsibilities, improved and doubled in God's service with constant onward and upward progress on the plan of addition. Every individual with reasoning ability will be called to give an account in the judgment for the way this talent is treated, with no excuse for neglecting to return God's own to Him, for life once lost and not hidden with Christ in God is gone forever, and faithful use reveals a character in accordance with God's character to a world sunken in sin. People belong to God because He created them and redeemed them through the death of His only-begotten Son, therefore every part of physical and mental powers is to be preserved for His service, all money is the Lord's money with none of it their own, not one dollar to be spent in selfishness but all used for God with self-denial for the unworked fields.

Stewardship is strictly individual and cannot be laid upon another, shifted to children, taken under another's control, merged or handed to another person, conference, council or institution, but each is given his own work and must keep, manage and trade upon his own stewardship by prayer, work, study and planning, exercise personal judgment, and give account to God and not to man. Ministers may help but can never do another's work at home, in the family, in the church and in the world, and merely retaining the capital without trading upon it and putting it out to the exchangers makes unfaithful servants, with God requiring at reckoning both what was received and all the improvement that might have been made but was not made through unfaithfulness. From the lowliest and most obscure to the highest in position each has a place in the family of God with some peculiar gift, value in God's sight coming not from number of talents but from the way they are appreciated and employed as His gifts sacredly consecrated to His glory and not to glorify self, with the smallest gift not to be ignored or despised and one talent well used gaining other talents.

No human leader may claim ownership of another person or dictate how God's instruments serve or become conscience for another, for by creation and by redemption with the blood of God's only begotten Son each belongs to the Lord, each has a moral identity that cannot be submerged in another, and talents must not be bought or placed absolutely under another's control or handled as machinery binding freedom and service. People and their talents are His to work, to impress, to imbue with His Spirit and to use to His name's glory, with room to work with Christ without requiring every person's work to follow one rigid pattern approved by a few, and no person or institution may absorb or control another's God-given ability or claim the fruits of that person's work unfairly. Those who unjustly seek to ruin and control their fellowmen, soul and body, treating some with partiality and others with indifference as though mere machines or driving them away by insincerity and unjust dealing, will have an account to render to God, who will require those souls at their hands.

Receiving the talents makes the steward one with his master, accepting a steward's responsibilities to act in his stead and make his interests his own, a position of dignity because of the master's trust, while turning gain to selfish advantage or burying them to serve Satan perverts the trust and is dishonorable unfaithfulness. Such stewards are held as free moral agents with liberty to abuse or to improve influence, capacity for usefulness, and intellectual and moral powers with all their capabilities for knowledge, and the extent of each person's obligation is measured by the amount of the gift loaned, whether few or many, with no one clear who makes no improvement upon the gifts given. The ability to write and the income gained from it are entrusted talents writers must invest and administer themselves under His direction rather than transfer their stewardship to others, for a person's work and stewardship cannot be transferred to another or fairly taken under another's control. When men and women fail to connect with God with mind, soul and strength controlled by the Holy Spirit to labor together with God in most perfect harmony with His appointed agencies, including in ruling the household aright, God is robbed.

Only the love of Christ enables right appreciation of talents so they are appreciated and used, not abused, with all talents wholly the Lord's to be devoted to His service, improved and used to gain higher, clearer views of heaven and eternal realities. Talents are the Lord's to use since He bought souls at infinite price by the gift of His only begotten Son, and one soul with its capability of living through eternal ages is worth more to Him than costly mansions, gold, silver, riches of a world or proud buildings that have not a living soul and will soon perish. They must be used for good and not for evil in faithful discharge of the duties revealed in His Word, because people are bought with a price and this life is a trial in which God will strictly examine what use was made of His goods, with future welfare depending on the use made of entrusted talents in winning souls to Christ age after age as Jesus keeps delivering His goods with special trust to each generation. The entire probationary period of life belongs unreservedly to God, who puts His claim on all the endowments, powers, capabilities and talents He entrusts to men, and Christ has a right to their entire consecration in service, every talent to be improved and multiplied by being put into exercise to His name's glory and in accordance with His divine will, growing where there is spiritual life as physical and intellectual resources are increased by active effort.

Kinds of Talents Entrusted

The talents include temporal possessions, means, money, property, houses, lands and worldly treasure lent according to ability, of which God is supreme proprietor, as well as income, prosperity, temporal resources and earthly business, to be traded, circulated and returned with increase rather than hidden, buried or spent merely to please self. They include influence and money together, some receiving larger talents of influence, some talents of means, and some both, all remaining the Lord's capital purchased by His sufferings and blood and not the servants' own for pleasure, to be invested by voice and press to speak to thousands for the glory of God and His cause. Faithful use puts means into spreading truth and saving others and can help others accept truth and serve God, while burying them lets them lie dormant, withholds from God what is His, and brings condemnation when He comes to reckon and require His own with usury.

The talents include soul, body and spirit, time, life itself, health, strength, physical and mental powers, reason, intellect, mind, affections, speech, influence, wealth, mental and moral powers and gifts of grace, all belonging to God to be improved and employed for others' good and His glory beginning in the home. They are endowments lent by God and borrowed, not owned by receivers, delivered by Christ as Master to His own servants in different amounts according to ability, to be consecrated, sacredly employed to do His will, used wisely and not trifled with because He will require them again. They include received truth, light, privileges and gifts entrusted for faithful use rather than concealment, with obligation to put them to work and share light received, and even one talent faithfully used can make a small investment fruitful while reckless words and harmful influence waste opportunities and bury what was entrusted.

The talents include spiritual, mental and physical abilities, influence, position, possessions, affections and sympathies, time, intellect, sympathy and affection, powers and faculties of mind and body that can be educated and directed, including kind affections, generous impulses, spiritual insight and social advantages, with every faculty to be cultivated in balanced use. Responsibility belongs to all and not only to a favored or especially gifted few, with work suited to each for salvation of souls, and influence especially is to be used to draw people to Christ whose death gives purpose to that service. Powers and faculties are to be educated, strengthened and directed toward doing good and honoring God rather than neglecting weaker abilities or developing only the strongest, since balanced use produces sound judgment and effective service, and wealth, position and intellect are trusts to be wisely developed without despising the humblest gift, with return proportionate to what was entrusted and faithfulness valued above size.

The talents include intellect to originate, a heart for God to rule, affection to flow out in blessing, conscience to convict of sin, and bodily powers and practical skills such as the physician's touch and knowledge, the carpenter's hammer and the blacksmith's strength, as well as ability to write a book, to sing, to speak through writing and publishing, and perceptive faculties and experience in managing youth. All that people have and are comes from God as giver, to be used with counsel sought from Him with unerring skill in behalf of suffering humanity as workers together with God, requiring self-denial, wise judicious use with strictest integrity, and acting as producers as well as consumers. Genius and capabilities as physician, physical and mental powers, money, opportunities and privileges are the Lord's money and goods to test usefulness and integrity, to be used for God alone and to do good and not for impulse, self-gratification or human praise, to be improved by judicious use and increased and returned to the Giver.

The talents include precious light, knowledge and truths of God's word, the gospel and grace, present truth, the great truth about the Sabbath and the proclamation of the third angel's message, treasures of truth and spiritual blessing, and accumulated knowledge of past and present generations, given as saving light to be applied, diffused and proclaimed and not hoarded or hidden. Present truth is a precious talent meant to develop heart, mind and affections and to enlighten those in unbelief, and those receiving light become accountable to God and to people still in darkness, becoming co-workers with Christ whose faithful use can lead to souls saved. Trading at once instead of waiting idle means putting goods out to exchangers by calling attention to their value, presenting sacred truth by precept and example, seeking wisdom daily, searching Scriptures diligently, and realizing co-partnership with God, through which He educates and develops executive ability and makes the gospel power and wisdom transforming life into conformity to Christ through the Holy Spirit given to the contrite humble worker.

The talents include probationary time and large opportunities, the Word as counsellor, the Holy Spirit as free gift, the mind, eyes, ears, knees to bow three times a day and feet to run in the commandments, positions of trust and honor, work, responsibility, advantages, and the talent of means of which the Lord has present need, and represent especially the gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit distributed as he wills. They are entrusted means, lent time, pen, voice, money, influence, and light and knowledge of thrilling truths heralding the second coming, to be used with careful thought and highest use of intellect for the poor, afflicted, orphan, fatherless, sick, hungry and destitute of clothing, and at reckoning the question will be what was done with them and with light to make men wise unto salvation rather than how successful in gathering means. Faithfulness is cooperating with God, watching for labor, doing sincere wholehearted labor without shiftlessness, receiving from God and rendering back what He lent for His name's glory, while the unfaithful steward merely wastes the Master's goods, lets idleness replace labor, appropriates unfaithfully, and will lose the soul unless cooperating and making the most of what was entrusted as Christ intended.

The talents include strength of purpose, ability to plan and devise, tact and skill, cleverness, wisdom, physical strength as capital more valuable than money because it cannot be purchased, and natural advantages, education, perseverance, zeal and opportunities, to be preserved by self-denial and plain living and wisely directed under grace. Strength, time and intellect belong to God, not merely for personal use but to be put to highest fruitful use for His honor and human good, requiring a higher standard where heaven has more of the thoughts and the world less, with present and past use examined. Everyone having strength is a steward as much as the man having money, required to use it judiciously to best advantage in fear of God, exerting to find work and support family rather than working only when convenient, and restricting appetite by self-denial to preserve strength, since failing to use strength fully is as wrong as covetously retaining riches.

All that is held including food, time, learning, money, body, soul and spirit, thought and influence is committed as loans to stewards and custodians of grace for making Christ known, and all a person has including possessions, grace, knowledge of truth and oracles of God is entrusted with God's absolute claim to be heartily consecrated and not laid up as earthly treasure to be consumed by fire. The talents are more than earthly temporal employments and worldly goods, embracing eternal interests and sacred higher trust involving eternity, purchased by Christ's blood and sufferings to secure entire obedience, to be invested to advance His glory and not buried in worldly enterprises or used merely to accumulate goods unless turned to His account. Responsibility is measured by entrusted capital according to the measure of the gift of Christ, so greater learning, talents and money only increase obligation, yet even lowliest talent and humblest service become consecrated gift when employed to do the Master's bidding, promote His glory and save souls for whom Christ died, with no talent to be degraded to selfish use, extravagance, misuse or misapplication but all small or great put out to use in doing good.

Musical talent is a gift from God for good when dedicated but harmful when used for worldly associations. It is entrusted in different measures according to ability with accountability for use, a power for good when dedicated to His service and glorifying God rather than pleasing self or others, but able to lead possessor and others toward worldly friendships and harm, while influence as a talent is to be cherished to bring souls to Christ and sports, evening parties and musical entertainments as usually conducted are not acceptable. Natural powers and capacity for education are unlimited and should be developed to the highest degree, but knowledge is valuable only when used for God's honor and human good. Youth should seek highest development as stepping-stone to highest purposes, since without that use attainments are worthless.

The talents are blessings and treasures of truth entrusted to the church to improve and return with increase, with obligations growing as gifts grow. Opportunities are heaven's gifts appreciated by seizing small advantages, and time and speech must be wisely used in trading. Heaven bestows very large gifts when it gives opportunities according to ability, appreciated by eagerly seizing and improving small advantages rather than ever desiring greater ones, with time a precious gift and speech a talent to be wisely used in trading with the Lord's goods only in close connection with Christ, by those vitalized by His divine nature working in His lines. Talents include intellect and reason affecting eternal welfare, to draw others to Christ through redemption. Each entrusted according to ability has God-appointed work to do himself which angels cannot take though they stand ready to work with him as he uses gifts to draw others and help recover souls through the gift made for redemption.

Talents include light in truth-filled publications, and hindering their circulation robs God. Light given through a humble instrument to reach people in books is a talent to trade upon, and blocking circulation for nearly two years withholds talents from the steward and prevents light reaching people amid moral darkness to press back the enemy, showing blindness, hardness, narrow ideas and deception with no sense of stewardship, requiring repentance lest stewardship be removed. Talents include sanctified influence in the church and ability to write to be invested as the Spirit indicates. Ability to write and means gained through it are entrusted talents to be used wisely for advancing God's cause, each responsible to invest where the Spirit indicates rather than shifting to another person or group, and talents of influence when sanctified and put to use where He has need in the church are a great blessing to user and church. Talents include mental, spiritual and physical powers to be consecrated, growing from mites to pounds by trading. Ability for service according to capacity, even in the humblest believer whose talent looks of little value, means powers consecrated for faithful service especially learning to speak and pray to edify in worship, increasing only by exercise and practice so small abilities used for God's glory grow from mites to pounds.

Hiding the treasure of knowledge by discouraging and driving souls away is the slothful servant's neglect. Capabilities given according to ability are for cooperating with God in blessing, uplifting, strengthening and ennobling self and others by exemplifying Christ's spirit, ways and works, with the great treasure of knowledge committed in trust, and to hide it in earth is to let self control to discourage, dishearten and drive souls from the Saviour instead of gathering with Christ, which is neglect and failure to improve what was given. Means, ability and intellect must help seek truth in the Word and share knowledge of God, not only earthly advantage. Material means, ability and intellect received through Christ are God's gifts to be improved and used in His service for His glory, helping to seek truth in God's Word and share knowledge of God rather than spent only on earthly advantages. Talents are gifts and powers to cultivate the whole being in God's service, and full use helps prepare for eternal life in heaven. Entrusted according to abilities, they are given so people may cultivate the whole being and serve Him, with full use preparing for eternal life.

Duty to Trade Diligently

What was given at first as capital and endowment is to be traded at once and now, in the present trading period day by day and hour by hour, to be doubled, improved, increased, cultivated, developed, exercised and multiplied by prompt diligent use, put out to the exchangers to gain usury through earnest self-denying labor without waiting idle for more help. Gifts improve and multiply when used in service according to the directions of the Word rather than merely human judgment, whether much or little, and each is to do the utmost to honor God with what was entrusted. No one is without work, no one is excused and no one is to remain idle, but every person is to use capabilities, opportunities and money in consecrated service to carry forward the work, accomplish the greatest good and increase revenue, with practice enabling abilities to be used to best advantage. Returns proportionate to ability are expected with intelligent duty that doubles the amount entrusted, and from humblest to most exalted a strict account of talents and their improvement will be required, with destiny decided by faithful improvement or lack of it.

Faithful exercise increases skill, strength, usefulness, knowledge, power and efficiency, for God works with the user and cooperates with humble trusting workers and opens ways before them. He gives increased talents to those who wisely improve what was entrusted, so even the one talent improved to the utmost will gain another and continually increase. Those who use their talents increase them, and using even one talent to lead a soul to heaven can begin a widening influence that brings others onward. The leading of the Spirit always moves toward better efficiency, and faithfulness with the measured trust brings greater responsibility and growth through grace to full stature.

To put the talent to the exchangers is to appreciate God's claims upon time, influence, capabilities and powers to be co-laborers together with God and Christ for the saving of fallen souls by reaching the highest standard possible. It is to search the Scriptures diligently to learn the words of Christ and be a doer of that word, having not faith alone but works testifying of faith in unmistakable example, and to educate and train mind, affections and heart to increase in ability and efficiency as a faithful steward of grace with love, gratitude and thankfulness from a heart holding His treasures. Trading is calling the attention of others to the value of what was entrusted, presenting sacred truth by precept and example, seeking wisdom daily, realizing co-partnership with God, and becoming channels of light by diffusing light received, for God gives increased light as light is shared. He does not keep bestowing more precious material while what is already committed lies unused, but as they trade He educates them, develops executive ability, makes the gospel power and wisdom to them, and transforms life and character into conformity to Christ through the Holy Spirit given to the contrite and humble worker, even amid opposition, unbelief and error that drive to the Word and to earnest wrestling prayer that will be heard. The talents are money, houses and lands and every ray of light from the written word, all to be treated as the Lord's goods and used with faith mixed with earnest prayer to advance His work and build His kingdom, not to glorify self or indulge impulse, and the way the lent capability is used decides future destiny and whether greater gifts, even eternal riches, will be entrusted.

Small duties test ability, character and fidelity, and those who accept and perform them cheerfully, faithfully and thoroughly are entrusted with greater and still greater responsibilities, true riches and positions of trust until through grace they grow to full manhood. Treating them with contempt or dissatisfaction means no more will be entrusted, while doing them well prepares for everlasting life and provides evidence of wise service. God Himself measures ability and knows exactly what burden to lay on each, and the one found faithful is trusted with more and still more. Having fewer talents does not justify neglect, and receiving some responsibility does not prove readiness for more, for self-inflation and reaching higher without faithfully learning present work brings no further trust.

Having only one or two talents, little wealth, a humble sphere or small gift does not remove responsibility or excuse burying it, but requires doing one's best with it. A person with one talent is as responsible as a person with more and may be just as tempted to cling selfishly to it, and all are to use what they have so the Master receives it back with increase when He comes. The small share does not excuse hiding, acting grudgingly, blaming the master or diverting through selfishness and neglect, and even money not invested in active work should have been put where it could yield return. Faithfulness is measured by how well each uses what was given, not by how much was received, and those who cheerfully employ abilities receive the same return whether gifts are few or many, while failure to use even a little brings loss and judgment. Even the smallest capacity sanctified and put to work has an appointed work which wisely used can accomplish it, can grow by use, and in house-to-house work may be more useful than brilliant gifts.

People learn how to employ talents by using them, so those able to serve should begin where they are without delay and without waiting idle for more preparation elsewhere, putting ability to immediate practical use where they are. They should not be kept idle while waiting for further preparation or direction, nor wait until human examination pronounces competence, but go out into highways and hedges to begin work for God, and mistakes can be corrected as they continue working. Improvement brings blessing and divine teaching, while hearing truth without imparting what is received leaves churches barren and unfruitful, starves the receiver spiritually, and folding hands in contentment doing nothing cannot expect continued supply. Daily preparation to use talents better, remaining open to receive grace and pass it on, and serving humbly and sharing what is learned without letting excuses and worldly interests hinder, keep responsibilities affecting eternal interests from neglect.

Talents are to be constantly improved by practical service such as establishing schools, sanitariums and food factories and learning trades, for nearness of the coming does not excuse neglect but requires doing all possible to bless and benefit humanity. Gifts lent by God are to be developed and strengthened through diligence so as to do practical work in temporal and religious matters and help self and others onward in the way to life. Education disciplines the mind, develops its powers and directs them understandingly so they may be useful in advancing His glory, which requires a school where those entering ministry are taught at least common branches and more perfectly present truth with lectures on prophecy, so good abilities are greatly benefited by even a few months' instruction. True higher education gives power for work when all learned is consecrated and used to search Scripture, giving an influence nothing else can give, bringing joy to believers and light to those in error, while staying ignorant when light can be obtained is wrong and every student's education must be turned to best account in intelligent service. School opportunities and privileges are themselves entrusted talents to acquire knowledge to communicate, counting every moment as of consequence, studying for time and eternity, and consecrating self as chosen and precious to be a laborer together with God by yoking with Christ.

True religion is practical and active, not idle musing or contemplation, calling for energetic use of all mental and physical powers in life's essential duties for God's glory. Different endowments are to be valued and increased by steady practical use, with exact and faithful modeling in every relation of life and strength of body and mind devoted to assigned work as blessing and privilege. This wise diligent use includes teaching families to use energies and capabilities well, waste no time, improve homes and cultivate land, for entrusted talents are to be used, not hidden. A talent unused is buried and left unproductive, as when people stop working where they feel unnecessary or remain inactive instead of doing the work that can help others learn truth.

Increased capacity must be used to gather up divine rays of light left as hereditary trusts by patriarchs, prophets and apostles and to keep seeking truth as hidden treasure, letting light shine in clear steady rays to warn souls lest they make shipwreck of faith. Greater light brings greater obligation to shine, and capacity increases as talents including reasoning faculties are improved. Using talents for God gives self-knowledge that makes dissatisfied with self, shows the great work to be done and the need to separate from every hurtful habit lest another be harmed. Working where one is, walking with God and passing along precious truth prepares for vacancies and advancement to higher responsibility, while opening the heart to His knock keeps from vanity in responsibility, Christ as teacher opens beauties not yet comprehended, improving the past preserves its gain as treasure from the Sun of Righteousness constantly added to and raising to higher service, and what is received must be continually imparted to continue receiving.

Talents are traded by imparting to others what was received, for to every man according to ability faithful use brings grace for grace, so as men give out they receive more richly. Active labor in imparting keeps the mind from clogging with unused matter and keeps usefulness growing, while being crammed with what cannot be used or imparted makes the mind dyspeptic, wastes time and hinders progressive usefulness under the Spirit. Faithful stewardship blends piety and earnest work, using probationary time well with the coming in view, regarding even limited opportunities and lesser qualifications as trust, working vigilantly, disciplining self by thorough training in every educational line within reach to learn and digest true knowledge, and striving to make the most of what is entrusted. It is neither prayerful meditation alone nor outward bustle to neglect of piety, but all-round perfect character holding talents as God's property under accountability.

God requires precious work with interest through earnest daily consecration, yielding to Him daily, hourly, momentarily, for He accepts no superficial work. This means cultivating other traits to combine with strong traits already possessed and sanctifying them all, so as to become a power for good. Talents must be used faithfully at once in blessing work while awaiting return, without waiting for more opportunity, in assigned work as stewards seeking to bless self and others and glorify God. The soon coming calls to active work that blesses and benefits others, not idleness, spending all powers in doing God's will from the heart and doing the utmost to proclaim the last message because the end is at hand. This allows no negligence, failure or discouragement but requires every attention to spiritual necessities, for perils of the last days are present and the day will overtake the unready as a thief, and gifts are to be returned with increase including supporting the work and preserving institutions in need.

Talents are improved by right use working as Christ worked in unselfish love instead of criticism and darkness, helping and blessing around by preaching, healing and medical missionary work with heart filled with love. Those who hide talent like the slothful servant fail this trust, while those who double talents meet it and receive joy and place with Christ on His throne. Burying where they cannot be improved robs God, wastes time and property and retards what capital and ability could advance, and idleness, doing nothing, refusing to work unless personally benefited, criticizing and complaining in moral darkness, grasping large wages while giving little, and planting that selfish example in others are ways of burying them and leaving double burdens on others. Talents must be used yoked with Christ redeeming the time, awakened, improved and developed as channels of light carrying burden for lost souls and cooperating with heavenly agencies, for talents kept in inaction lose all ability to be used and the mind can be perverted and misused for Satan's work, with misuse, waste, neglect and inaction registered in heaven to be met in judgment.

Christians are stewards of loaned goods for wholehearted devoted service, putting substance to work in saving souls, for value lies in employing powers under Christ's direction to honor and glorify God especially in that work. The entrusted substance belongs to the Lord and is to be put to work, growing in efficiency and capability, not possessed for self-serving use. Received light must be shared by wise personal work and doing best in available smaller duties, for having fewer talents is no reason to remain idle or hide what was entrusted. Faithful use in smaller duties and service to individuals develops greater ability for better work and heavier responsibilities, and sharing light through personal work helps grow in grace and ability instead of rusting through inaction.

Time, influence and money are God-given talents making His claims plain so no one need doubt where to use them, and every person even with only one talent is to appreciate them and use them in cooperation with God. Faithful use of that one in service will cause it to be increased, for God accepts sincere purpose and cooperates with human effort. Talents must be returned through faithful unselfish service to advance His work and reveal His glory, not used for selfish advantage, for gifts and power to develop them are to be returned to God. Faithful use means abiding in Christ and bearing fruits of righteousness, going about doing good, seeking to save souls, conquering difficulties and keeping unspotted to reveal genuine religion. The faithful do not seek easiest place and lightest burdens but are found where work is hardest and help most needed, following self-denial rather than pleasing self, and by zealous activity avert the doom of the unprofitable servant cast into outer darkness.

Talents must be cultivated by diligent thorough effort, for mere possession of ability is not enough and it must be exercised and improved in faithful service so entrusted capital is increased. Every God-given power is to be used faithfully rather than neglecting essential growth or seeking distinction without gaining needed experience. Capabilities entrusted to every person must now be brought into active service to prepare to meet Christ, with no time to lose and every talent employed while day lasts, for night comes when no man can work. This urgent use awakes the slumbering and keeps each lamp trimmed and burning, which is necessary preparation to meet Him at His near coming with joy and not grief. Unselfish service to help others walk the narrow path improves and increases talents, and unused talents must be put to work, for they develop through use and their education is needed in the church and in regions beyond.

Faithful stewardship requires self-sacrifice and careful management to return His own with increase, managing money and putting it to best use so it can be returned when He comes. All in every station must work diligently, withhold nothing and increase what was entrusted, with returns expected corresponding to amount given. Those given great light, opportunities and privileges must gain enough of the Lord's goods to trade acceptably, rather than devote time and means to self while people perish for want of help. Those entrusted with abilities must bring powers to bear so they produce tangible results for His cause rather than merely advancing own interests in the work they are called to. Talents are to be cultivated to best ability with school opportunities counted as talents to acquire knowledge to communicate, counting every moment and consecrating self by yoking with Christ, and put to work in earnest Christian service which develops further abilities and brings opportunities and instruction to others, with the Holy Spirit helping every earnest worker willing to be guided.

Entrusted talents are meant to grow until the person becomes a whole strong balanced person with breadth of thought, strength of intellect and power for larger responsibilities. This comes by bearing individual responsibility and accountability, exercising every faculty even in little things, refusing to be merely a machine run by another's brain or a shadow vanishing when substance is removed, and refusing to shrink from risk and venture. It comes by patient continuance in well-doing, resolutely overcoming cowardice, ignorance and inefficiency with thoughtful energy and zeal, thinking independently and adding day by day little by little to stock of ideas as if moments were jewels carefully gathered, with steady uniform unyielding energy. Avoiding responsibility prevents the growth needed to carry greater trusts, while steady use makes talents grow.

Accountability and Final Reckoning

Each person is accountable for using and developing what was entrusted for the Master and for the good of others, with returns expected in proportion to ability and gifts and condemnation in proportion to gifts neglected, including abilities left unused and good that could have been done but was omitted, judged by works though justified by faith, and at the individual strict reckoning when the Master returns every talent including the unused one is brought into account. Gifts of light, ability, and influence are lent for responsible improvement and not for self-pleasing, and talents left unused that might have been put out to the exchangers will be required again with the increase the Master requires. Those who have seen great light and know the truth but feel no burden to reveal it in corresponding works are as the servant who knew his master's will but did it not.

The Master who took His journey will return at His coming and final judgment to scrutinize closely every talent and its improvement, calling each steward by name one by one to require an account of His goods and to demand interest and results, with use deciding eternal destiny so that faithfulness brings blessing and neglect brings condemnation and loss of eternal life. Leaving gifts unimproved deprives His vineyard of needed labor, and the servant is accountable for work he could have done, while faithful use brings increased ability, skill, knowledge, and experience. Those who know the truth and make no effort to win souls through spiritual indolence will be held responsible for work they might have done but did not do, with no second probation or another chance, and reward will be proportionate to work done.

Day by day and hour by hour each responsible being is trading on the trust for time and eternity and making a record in the books of heaven preparing reward or punishment, and a record of time, influence, opportunities, and means is kept and will be examined. God keeps an exact record marking defects such as hours spent in visiting and talking about unimportant matters as idle time, missed opportunities to draw minds to the Saviour, words of no consequence, days spent without prayer, unfulfilled duties, and large expenses with little results. A record is being made of time, influence over others, and opportunities to bless and help brethren, which must not be spent serving self, and in the great day every excuse will vanish when inquiry is made what profit was brought from talents lent. No veil hides inmost thoughts from His eye, for He searches out every hidden thing, and at the judgment secret thoughts and transactions will be set in the light of God's countenance. Even those with fewer qualifications or limited opportunities are to make the most of what they have through diligent effort and training in preparation for Christ's coming.

Returning only what was given does not satisfy Christ, who calls for His own with usury, for giving back the trust without developing what could have been gained through God's provisions is insufficient. Judgment addresses not only wrong deeds but good that could have been done and was left undone, for people are responsible for powers they could have developed and for qualifications Christ died to place within reach. Possessing abilities or generous and spiritual qualities without putting them to work does not excuse inactivity, and unused gifts increase responsibility. He who does not improve his talents is regarded as slothful and untrustworthy and unworthy of the heavenly courts, held accountable not only for what he received but for talents he might have possessed, with condemnation falling especially on neglect of what might have been done, every hour of careless inaction and every unimproved opportunity meaning eternal loss and responsibility for resulting evil and lost souls. The unfaithful man is charged as a defaulter with the whole amount entrusted and with all he might have done and did not do, all faithful work neglected and all good he might have done by his capabilities, and is accountable for evil arising through conscious or unconscious influence and for souls lost that he might have saved if faithful.

God regards those entrusted with vigilance, all their actions and most secret motives must pass His scrutiny, and He will hold them to strict account for improvement, with success coming because the God of wisdom prospered them. He will require a strict account of what He lent, and of nothing more strictly than time, with everyone accountable for the few golden moments of probation, for life is a precious boon not given for selfish gratification and time is too short to seek fame. He marks whether talents are used to advance His kingdom or squandered for self, and those who misuse them remain in probation only for an appointed time. He requires of His church and people according to grace and truth and light given them, and His requirements are just and must be fully met, so that as rational accountable beings they must walk in the light shining upon them lest their light become darkness in proportion to light received. Condemnation and banishment at the last day come not from lack of knowledge but from truth that reached the understanding and illuminated the soul and was then turned away from and refused.

A day of trust ends in a day of reckoning in which knowledge of truth must sanctify and be opened to those in error, and the full reward is not gathered in this life but in the future immortal life when judgment sits and books are opened. Crowns differ in glory measured by earnest striving in self-denial and self-sacrifice, so some with ordinary talents who strove more earnestly will be seen to have done more than those given larger trusts, and every soul won through faithful means adds stars to crowns and increases eternal reward. At Christ's second coming each servant will answer for entrusted goods including money and gifts of mind and body and intellect and earthly wealth, and the results of faithful giving may not be fully known until the judgment. Knowledge left ungained brings lasting loss even if the person is not lost, for people are accountable also for abilities they could have developed and good they could have done but failed to accomplish.

The benefits and blessings and clear definite light conferred upon the church must be improved to bring forth fruit perfect before God lest light become darkness, and she will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary to see whether moral character and spiritual state correspond with what God gave, with the light shining on her pathway, especially the light of 1882, calling her to account so that if talents are unimproved she will be found wanting. Life's gifts are property entrusted by God to use and return to Him in differing amounts, and withholding what God claims is robbery requiring repentance for unfaithful stewardship. The trust has continued through successive generations with responsibilities increasing with light received until reaching the present day, yet even humblest service is accepted when it carries out the Master's will and promotes His glory.

How assigned work is done determines future destiny and requires a clear account, with means to be used to advance God's work rather than for selfish pleasure or refusal to help others. Everything that could be done has been done to elevate man, so if he fails the sacrifice is in vain for him, and whether he is weighed and found wanting or stands with the white-robed throng depends on his course of action, while remaining in the workshop of God will beautify and polish and fit him for the heavenly mansions. Talents including money, property, influence, and resources are a test of stewardship during life for spreading knowledge of truth, with a reckoning in which faithful use brings reward and blessing and unfaithfulness brings condemnation and retribution at Christ's coming. Returns expected correspond to amount given, each is accountable for gifts actually received and not for gifts lacking, and all in every station are to withhold nothing and work diligently to increase what was entrusted.

Misuse, waste, neglect, and embezzlement for self-glorification are registered in the books of heaven and bring condemnation at the last day. Spending God's goods on self to glorify self, leaving His poor unaided, and despising those Christ became poor to enrich leaves selfish conduct written in heaven, with no mansions awaiting those who chose present happiness and did not lay up treasure in heaven. Burying talents in the world and serving Satan instead of the Lord is unfaithful dishonorable stewardship, and all influence that might have been exercised, all improvement talents would have made, and all good that might have been done through the atoning sacrifice but was left undone will be charged to the account when weighed in the balances and found wanting. Worldly schemes and cares crowding out godliness mark the one-talent servant who buries the trust, judged unworthy of confidence, and talents kept in inaction lose all ability to be used while the mind can be perverted for Satan's work.

Opportunities and privileges failed to be improved help determine return expected and measure of guilt, and accountability includes influence over others, for faithfulness could help lead others into God's kingdom while rejecting Christ and discouraging others aggravates guilt. This life is test and trial to reveal character by improving talents of reason, intellect, opportunity, and means as a strong feature of probationary life, while letting time pass in indifference, misusing reason, and frittering opportunities on amusements and self-gratification lets the enemy conquer, deprives God of due service, and imperils eternal interests. Right use in this life leaves an example of what Christians should be as representatives of the pure unworldly unselfish benevolence of Jesus, with heart bound to Christ's heart on the threshold of eternity, so that reckoning brings gladness not depression.

Each will be judged according to light given, each according to ability, and talents as light and knowledge must be imparted by a deportment and character corresponding with profession and showing truth sanctifying the heart, while burying the talent means failing to act in accordance with profession through lightness, worldliness, love of money, and self-centered living. All are to work, but those with greater opportunities and clearer understanding of Scripture bear greater responsibility, and none should be discouraged in sincere efforts to do God-given work. Abilities may be put to work for God or turned against their Giver in service of the enemy, and at the coming time of reckoning each person's use of what was entrusted will be seen. Future welfare depends on use made of entrusted talents, for this life is a trial in which God strictly examines what use was made of His goods, with interest expected proportionate to what was entrusted.

Reward for Faithfulness Loss for Neglect

Those who trade with what they receive and present gain are met with the Master's approval, rulership over more, entrance into the joy of the Lord, many souls as stars in a crown of rejoicing, treasure laid up in heaven and eternal life, while stewards who wisely use means receive still greater trust at the day of reckoning. The two servants who trade illustrate faithful workers who can show increase, whereas the servant given the least who makes no use of his gift and buries it is condemned and cast into outer darkness as unprofitable. These talents are the Master's capital and not the servants' own property, entrusted in differing amounts according to ability, to be used and accounted for with increase, and faithful servants credit their gains to the Giver. Greater ability brings greater responsibility to use what is entrusted in the Master's service, and burying resources in earthly investments instead of advancing His work and saving souls neglects that duty.

What matters is not how much is received but how faithfully it is used, for even few talents and daily small duties done cheerfully in obedience develop service by addition while God works by multiplication, making small acts precious influences in His work. Humble wholly consecrated service is as acceptable as the greatest, and those faithful with few receive just as large a reward as those with many, with no need to grieve over gifts not entrusted. Every person including the one with only one talent is expected to make the best use of what is given in a humble sphere, doing that work well, for best use brings the continual leading of the Spirit to greater efficiency and if traded the Lord would multiply the talent. Such talents and knowledge of vital truths are not to be hidden but faithfully used, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring truths freshly to mind, so that God's word becomes a living powerful influence through divine power working with human effort rather than through learning or intelligence, and praise belongs to God. Using knowledge and powers in keeping with light received increases ability to do more and better work, and faithful service brings the Lord's reward yet gives no ground for claiming merit since every talent and gain depends on grace.

Faithfulness and humble dependence on God rather than education, eloquence or brilliance fit a person for entrusted work, and value in God's sight comes not from number of talents but from how they are appreciated and employed. The one-talent gift can grow through use, and the servant is accountable for using what was given and not for what was lacking, for God does not require five talents to produce ten but accepts service according to what a person has. Wisely trading is impossible without close connection with Christ, for those vitalized by His divine nature can and will work in His lines, eagerly seizing and improving small advantages and precious opportunities of time and speech instead of ever desiring greater ones. Talents of time, strength, intellect and means belong to God and are lent to be improved by use and returned to Him, making holders channels of usefulness when used for others' good, for giving brings receiving and God gives increase. Such faithful self-sacrificing stewardship brings God's blessing and in the end eternal life, and wise use even in small duties and unselfish service at home prepares for greater responsibilities and makes the doer great in God's sight.

Burying talents in the earth, in a napkin, in worldly pursuits or earthly investments, withholding the Lord's money or spending all strength of brain, bone and muscle on worldly business instead of putting the kingdom first is selfish, covetous, idolatrous unfaithfulness. Having only one talent or little worldly wealth is no excuse to leave it unused, for hiding out of fear, covetousness or unbelief deprives others of benefit and the person of heavenly treasure. Such hiding claims a right to do as one pleases with possessions, leaves souls unsaved and professors in darkness as selfish worshipers of mammon, while generous practical benevolence for salvation of sinners gives spiritual life and makes earnest faithful co-workers with Christ. Each person is responsible to put gifts to work rather than bury them, using all powers for Jesus, which is rewarded with eternal life, whereas burying where they bring God no return imperils spiritual interests and forfeits an eternity of bliss.

Failure to use entrusted powers in good works is culpable neglect leaving one under condemnation even when no grievous sin is recorded, for absence of pure good noble deeds shows unimproved abilities. Returning only what was given will not satisfy Christ when He reckons, for He calls for His own with usury, and every provision has been made to make increase possible through what He died to place within reach. Every hour of careless inaction and every unimproved opportunity is eternal loss, with responsibility for resulting evil and lost souls, and such slothfulness and untrustworthiness makes a professed follower unworthy of the heavenly courts. Life, health, reason, physical and mental strength, time and talents are the Lord's goods to be used faithfully diligently wisely for His glory, and each must answer for them, for wasting them is the conduct of an unfaithful servant. Neglecting opportunities to do good fails to use what God entrusted for His glory and service of others rather than self-pleasing, harming the conscience and endangering the soul, while faithful service blesses others, advances salvation and makes truth's light visible including in the home.

Withholding talents from His service and burying the Lord's goods is robbery of God and reproach against Maker and Redeemer who ransomed every son and daughter of Adam with precious blood from love, and must be answered for in the last day, for the ransom will not shield those refusing allegiance from retribution. These gifts of property, time, strength, mental ability, means and influence are stewardship and test to be put promptly diligently to work to advance truth and bring righteousness, and the Master will investigate how they were used. Selfish use or neglect brings condemnation, wrongs God, and may cause Him to entrust His gifts to more faithful stewards. Hoarding the Lord's goods and doing nothing brings loss of soul at the final account when the Chief Shepherd and Judge reckons with servants justified by faith and judged by works, and those selfishly retaining means without self-denial and soothing conscience by bequests at death do not multiply talents and receive no commendation or reward but the doom of the unprofitable servant.

Hoarding or wasting entrusted goods is unfaithful stewardship and can lead the Master to remove responsibility, while wise use for truth and humanity including advancing truth and helping sufferers is rewarded. Money and influence are lent in trust to every reasoning person according to ability to be a blessing and not a curse, to scatter blessings, shield the fatherless and defenseless, help the needy and destitute, help others obtain education and advance God's cause. Recklessly spending them on display, amusement, pride, selfish gratification and prodigality, or supplying youth with means for such, is neglect and abuse of trust, and every dollar wasted on frivolous things robs God's treasury. All are accountable for what they do with these talents because the Lord is soon to come, and all must learn to save and economize.

Eternal life is not earned by stewardship, for it is a gift of grace and pardon was purchased by Christ's blood, yet blessings received are to be imparted as entrusted funds managed by faithful stewards. Faithful use of what is entrusted helps form Christian character, serves others and lays up treasure in heaven, including sacred truths and the duty to share light where everyone has work and the Master will reckon. When the Master comes it will be seen whether servants were faithful, and eternal life is secured by that faithfulness which puts light not under a bushel but on a candlestick so all see they have been with Christ, and even seemingly fruitless faithful efforts will at last shine, kindle light in others, magnify God's name and make them co-workers with Christ.

Faithful use of differing talents in winning souls is expected, with abilities to be developed through use especially in that work, and selfish hiding makes one slothful and forfeits both reward and souls. God gives powers according to ability for proclaiming the testing message and drawing souls to the spread table, and hiding them in the earth means making no use of them to give the message while excuses, jesting, contempt and rejection meet the invitation. Those hiding are unfaithful slothful servants whom God will call to account, while faithful servants feel responsibility and work with every means to compel people to come in, and using powers for selfish worldly purposes while neglecting His work makes one unfaithful.

Faithful Versus Unfaithful Servants

The one-talent servant centered his thoughts and abilities on himself, and that self-focus made him afraid and left his gift unused and buried. Hiding the talent means putting intellect or money into business that does not save the soul but endangers it, and the one who hides one would hide ten if given more. Ability and influence are not excused by smallness but are to be put to work for God rather than buried in worldly pursuits and money-making for earthly treasure. Even small capabilities rightly used make the user a channel of light and grace and grow from strength to strength, while hiding the gift reveals lack of faith and love, makes one a channel of darkness and hindrance, and leads to complaining against God as hard and unjust. Burying through indolence misrepresents the Lord, yet faithful use of even one can increase it to two and faithful use of two can double them again, with heavenly wisdom helping the humble worker, and self-indulgence and withholding resources needed for God's work is failure to improve what is entrusted. The failure to use what was entrusted, joined with the bitter charge that the master was hard, warns against neglecting entrusted gifts and blaming God rather than serving faithfully.

The servant who buried his talent and treated the master's requirements as too severe acted from a false view of God's character rather than from a valid excuse. He imagined God to be like himself, selfish as he was selfish, and did not trust God's mercy and grace. His accusation was not a momentary excuse but the true sentiment of his heart, professing to know God yet charging Him with fraud from a false conception of the divine character. That heart showed lack of simplicity, lack of genuine religion and experimental knowledge of God, and unbelief in God's free mercy and rich gift of grace to help right his ways. Such neglect from spiritual indolence is sinful slothfulness that makes a person responsible for good that might have been done but was not done and brings self-condemnation at the judgment.

Loyalty matters more to God than extent of knowledge or capability, and those who bury what they have will be replaced by workers who use it wisely in service. A greater assignment does not prove qualification for it, so one not ready for five talents should faithfully do the smaller work he can do instead of neglecting small duties while reaching higher. The one given two rather than five must use the smaller trust wisely and judiciously, with faithfulness in little things and thoroughness in everything, climbing step by step. Feeling capable of the larger trust while entrusted with the smaller, without deep careful thorough work, shows self-inflation and too high an estimate of capability, leaving defect and superficiality God cannot approve. Covetously taking on more can create a burden beyond what can rightly be managed, for abilities do much good when used to serve God but do great harm when turned to selfish ends.

Moses became great by using his talents in God's work, and his talents increased by faithful use. Such faithful service develops character and prepares for greater work and for heaven, without haphazard effort or reckless ambition. Enoch likewise pleased God even in a degenerate age by earnestly cultivating the highest powers of being and striving in spirit, word and action to please God unto highest spiritual efficiency, a power still available. Time as a precious gift of heaven and power of speech to be wisely used belong to this trading, and small advantages eagerly seized are the way precious opportunities are appreciated, while ever desiring greater opportunities shows failure to appreciate what is had. Close connection with Christ is indispensable, for those vitalized by His divine nature can and will work in Christ's lines. He who does not improve his talents is regarded as slothful and untrustworthy, held accountable not only for what he received but for what he might have possessed, with every careless hour and unimproved opportunity meaning eternal loss.

Like the servant with one talent, the Wessels brothers were afraid to employ entrusted money for advancing His work and allowed means to be tied up in buildings and worldly enterprises. The Lord's goods are to be put diligently to work by faith that works by love and purifies the soul, using them to win people and bring returns to the Lord. The rich man who had knowledge, talents and abundant means likewise failed to improve or use them for others' good, spending his powers on selfish pleasure instead. Covetousness turns powers meant for service into selfish gain, so greater property becomes a heavier stewardship rather than a blessing. Inheritance of money does not qualify anyone for responsibility; qualification comes from taking up God-given work and being in every sense a man of opportunity.

Even the drunkard has been entrusted with talents, proving he is capable of better things for honoring God and blessing the world. Liquor sellers who lay a snare for his soul enrich themselves in luxury by his degradation and leave their robbed victims in poverty and wretchedness, interfering with that trust. God sees both first cause and last effect, marks the wickedness that perpetuates crime and misery, hears the cries of those formed in His image and purchased with His blood, and will require the drunkard's ruin at the hand of those who helped speed him to it. Using the Lord's resources to gratify harmful appetite is unfaithful misuse of what He gave according to ability. The colored race has been given some of the best and highest talents to be improved in doing what God wants, that people may become intelligent in His service.

Satan has great success in preventing men from using their talents and controls the talents of many who claim to believe present truth. Failing to use talents aright robs God daily and dwarfs and degrades God-given powers through frivolous amusements, selfish ambition, and minds absorbed in commonplace matters when the most important themes are within grasp. Ability, intellect and tact lent according to ability must be sanctified and given right direction by the religion of Christ to help others in the way of life, but put to wrong use they aid Satan and ruin souls. Satan holds some as slaves to keep them from the soul-saving work God assigned, especially living up to the light of the Sabbath and letting light shine by good works. Talents kept in inaction lose all ability to be used, and the mind can be perverted and misused for Satan's work, while misuse, waste, neglect and inaction are registered in heaven's books to be met in the judgment.

Stewardship of Means and Property

The tenth with gifts and offerings to be brought into the treasury to advance the cause and send the living preacher to those in darkness is the Lord's own money in the verse, and to hide the talent in the earth is to withhold from God what is His, excused by complaining that He is hard, reaping where He has not sown, and by pleading fear. Both rich and poor are stewards proportioned to ability to bring a faithful tithe, each church has its own burdens to bear and is not to lay its cares upon others, and means and property lent as talents are to be used for His glory and returned with usury when He soon comes. Those who have means must at once return to the Lord His own, leaders must set a right example by planning and working earnestly, and all must look over affairs and do without delay what they can to relieve suffering institutions, for rightly employing property has eternal consequences and offerings large or small freely given to help afflicted brethren are placed in Christ's own hands.

Parents while of sound mind and good judgment keep personal responsibility for stewardship of means and must not shift it to spouse or children by transferring property, willing means at death, or deferring disposition until death. They are to dispose with prayer and experienced counselors who know truth and the divine will, giving God's claims first place and giving surplus while living for satisfaction now and reward afterward, for making a will does not release duty and deferring surrenders to death rather than to God, runs great risk for rich men, and acts contrary to God's plain plan. Means may be entrusted to children only with surest evidence of greater love, devotion and zeal for God's cause and benevolence in forwarding enterprises calling for means, and to place means beyond control in children's hands from secret motives to avoid giving, or to let it pass to unbelieving reckless children to squander, hoard and worship, is prompted by Satan to keep it from God's cause and place it in the enemy's ranks. Those who do not improve lent talents but are deficient in good works will render account as unfaithful stewards of the Lord's money, and those entrusted afterward may not do as well, so waiting till death is utter folly and great mistake.

In nine cases out of ten aged ones nearing the close of probation appropriate God's property so not one dollar flows into the treasury, often bequeathing to children and grandchildren without love for God or truth only to their injury where Satan controls it, or making wills so loose they will not stand law so thousands are lost. They must exercise intellect to secure His means to His cause and institutions instead of letting it pass to those serving Satan, for Satan is more vigilant, keen-sighted and skillful in securing means to himself than they are to secure the Lord's own to His cause. Property is lent to test whether one will accept Christ's character, follow Him in doing good, devote substance to advancing the cause, blessing the needy and establishing churches with no distinction of rich above poor, and hoarding for self, spending covetously, and leaving wealth leading children to foolish extravagance and ruin is soul-periling idolatry that loses eternal riches and leaves no place in the mansions prepared for those who love Him. God has first claim before children even when they are His own, and giving His goods to children arrayed against truth to spend on amusements and perverted appetite brings poverty, injures children, destroys spirituality and puts means into the enemy's hands.

Money as the Lord's talent entrusted according to ability must be put to work and invested in work He calls for, including facilities where many learn truth, meetinghouses, sanitariums for physical and spiritual healing, and schools like the prophets', and not withheld, buried, tied up or consumed in uncertain enterprises. To invest in mining stock buries the talent in the earth by a last-day device and snare of the enemy, risking loss of capital and crippling God's work for lack of talent to win souls, and tying up means in buildings that ought not be built while withholding from where needed fails to multiply and retards the work. The talent of means is multiplied by putting it into circulation instead of leaving it in banks or property, including advancing work begun in Nashville, and those possessing it hold it in trust in readiness to answer where the Lord has need, including now workers at Madison School in need who raised means for many enterprises.

Entrusted means must be invested while opportunity lasts to prepare missionaries, with means placed in service put out to the exchangers where it blesses one who blesses another and so steadily multiplies itself. Money faithfully invested in missionary work is doubled through souls won, for one soul is worth more than a world and labor is not failure if one soul gains a name in the book of life, with each soul won able to become a worker for others, while earthly wealth and improved farms cannot be taken to heaven. This calls for faithfulness at the appointed post, consecration in every line, payment of tithes and offerings, and cheerful willing self-denying giving to advance the kingdom and place eternal life within reach of the perishing, for wise use of littles brings wonderful increase so one talent wisely used brings two, accepted according to what one has and not what one lacks.

Means should be disposed while living by asking God and watching for chances to do good with the Lord's money, practicing economy, study, prayer and consecration, taxing every power to please the Lord and accumulating talents by correct use to return faithful increase. Stewards are to relieve suffering institutions without delay, clear debts, build meetinghouses free from debt, and support God's work in proportion to what was entrusted rather than leaving some to carry burdens while others are eased, with responsibility that cannot be handed to conference or organization but used where need appears while seeking wisdom from God. Money lent to those who have it is to be used wisely when called for to help pay for a house of worship and free it from debt, denying self and lifting the cross instead of spending for selfish pleasure, which brings harmony with God's beneficent purposes, deeper interest in His cause, and His blessing.

Talents must not be piled up in buildings in one place while needy unworked portions like England and London are neglected, for to concentrate facilities where they already increase and work at cross-purposes with God in business management is foolishness and independence marked as Unfaithful stewards to be called to account for light and warnings unheeded. They are to be divided, subdivided and transferred where they will tell to better account broadened out rather than confined in one locality, with God to plan distribution as men ask wisdom for use of His money, houses, property, intelligence, experience, power and facilities. Keeping houses and influence in Battle Creek instead of removing where influence would count more, diverting His money into wrong channels for worldly plans, and not using what was entrusted in proclaiming the last gospel message to all nations leaves fields unworked and is greed and worldliness to be punished.

In South Africa stewards were entrusted with means to trade upon by setting the Lord's means in circulation through loans and donations to build the school and meeting place where souls must learn truth, for time is short so work must go forward as fast as possible, and those putting means to work for saving souls give liberality to the Lord and receive blessing as He moves hearts. Money needed is already entrusted somewhere to His stewards and He now calls for it to be invested, so when treasuries are empty workers should lay them before the Lord and plead with faith that He will supply through stewards. Funds include help for families in need with food and travel to receive eternal life, putting personal resources to work in service of others to make possible the bread of life.

Money requires keeping individual stewardship instead of giving large sums outright to one man to use as his judgment dictates, for no man is above temptation and handing over all control despises individual stewardship and does not do best for giver or receiver. The talent multiplies by being used, so means should be loaned or invested at low interest where it will help God's cause with wise managers, while the owner keeps a voice in placing and something in hand for future gifts, inquiring of the Lord where to place it. Faithful use advances one line without neglecting other lines just as essential, sending gifts from institutions and places with every facility to fields with none of God's memorials, and investing in newly opening unworked parts of the vineyard.

Superior qualifications, means and influence in responsible places and men of wealth are precious lent treasures to be increased and returned to advance His glory and enable workers to do good, especially by establishing in New York and other great cities centers of influence from which Bible truth in simplicity shall go forth, which is laying up treasure beside God's throne. Altogether too little effort has been put forth for this class, so they are to be sought, saved, entreated and persuaded to make this return. Money and influence are lent to every reasoning person to bless others and advance God's cause, and recklessly spending them on display, amusement, pride, selfish gratification and prodigality, or supplying youth with means for display and amusement, is neglect and abuse of trust that robs God's treasury of every wasted dollar. Guardians and parents as stewards must employ every faculty to shield the fatherless and defenseless, help the needy and destitute, help others obtain education, learn to save and economize, for all are accountable as the Lord is soon to come.

Means are lent for God's work to be used during life to advance it, bringing satisfaction now and reward hereafter. Means and talents must advance His cause and glorify Him without exalting self or oppressing the poor, with faithful use as evidence of love and grateful obedience and an offering's value depending on pure love rather than size. Money invested in missionary work is trading on the Lord's goods to multiply what was given, to be put promptly into circulation to provide facilities and support workers rather than held with miser's grasp from selfish interest, acquisitiveness, covetousness and idolatry, or from fear of expense and future calls. Hiding the Lord's money in earth or world, even entrusting it to others at risk rather than benefiting God's treasury, repeats the one-talent man's mistake, robs God, and will require strict account and retribution at Christ's coming, while money wisely handled brings blessing and marked results.

Riches are only lent treasure and sacred trust, and by helping the needy and suffering in Christ's place and living humbly and godly the steward serves faithfully and lays up talents and treasures beside God's throne. Wealth is entrusted capital to be improved and invested in opening doors for the gospel and saving souls, given in differing amounts to be used in His service. People are stewards of means for advancing His cause, requiring money put to use rather than hidden by fear or selfishness. Money is a talent belonging to God not handlers, to be treated as His and united with sanctified intellect and wisdom in investment to upbuild and sustain His work as blessing, to be carefully managed and put to best use with self-sacrifice and generous hearts to return His own with increase, for selfishness with them is covetousness which is idolatry giving victory to Satan and great loss of souls, while generous return restores God's moral image in man.

Financial means is a talent for advancing His cause requiring investment in memorials with self-denial and self-sacrifice to make the impossible possible, and holding back even to please children is dishonesty, disobedience and burying talents in the earth. Money, means, possessions and earnings from labor are talents to be actively invested in God's cause, missionary work and winning souls, not hoarded, buried in the world, bound up in worldly enterprises, or held for personal purposes, and faithful use lays up heavenly treasure, brings eternal riches and glory to the Giver, and hastens Christ's coming. Burying includes withholding God's money instead of carrying the warning message, which hinders truth from reaching the world and imperils heavenly reward, while sons spending earnings without understanding value misuse what God intended for much good.

Talents are to be doubled by use in gifts, offerings and influence, and where self-sacrifice and urgent labor have established work and facilities and the Lord has prospered, believers are bound even at great self-denial to transfer a portion or all of means once invested from afar to servants sent to new fields beginning at the ABC of the work. One portion of the vineyard worked bringing fruit then another taken up, the new unworked part receiving help from the worked part so every part becomes success, is the law of restitution practicing God's law, moving work forward solidly with doubled strength and enabling messengers with great power to proclaim the third angel's message and the soon appearing of Jesus with power and great glory. God has a systematic plan for benevolence and talents are given for active exercise to advance knowledge of truth, so needs, motives for gifts and urgent worldwide missionary calls should be presented and those with true missionary spirit respond willingly. Selfish practices and needless spending dull senses to the cause, and the Holy Spirit must break the spell of selfishness and covetousness through self-denial so the kingdom advances.

Service Mission and Soul Winning

Faithful use means soul-winning, for even one talent put to work to lead a soul to heaven begins a widening influence that brings others to the Master. Each person brought to the truth who then works for others becomes a talent gained, so talents doubled appear as souls saved and influence multiplied through those converted winning others in turn. The expected increase is the salvation of souls as co-workers with Christ, with means, speech and influence improved and used to gather souls and help save those around. Hiding the talent in the earth is seeking merely to save one's own soul while remaining indifferent to the condition and destiny of fellow men, and no one who does this can long retain divine favor or even secure his own salvation. Unearthing the talent and putting it out to the exchangers means going to work for the Master in saving perishing souls, in contrast to letting souls die while doing nothing as an idler and slothful church member, and no idler will be found inside the kingdom.

Faithful trading means putting the Lord's property out to the exchangers for the advancement of His cause that souls may be saved, doing the work intelligently and increasing talents through unselfish interest in word and spirit and deed. This includes spreading truth, warning others, house-to-house and fireside witnessing, selling truth-filled books that give a knowledge of the truth, establishing new churches, helping destitute towns, building humble meetinghouses free from debt and clearing old debts, and sustaining mission fields and missions needing means. Money invested in missionary work is doubled through souls won, since one soul is worth more than a world and labor is not failure if one soul gains a name registered in the book of life, with each soul won able to become a worker for others. Earthly wealth and improved farms are no faithful substitute because they cannot be taken into heaven, and talents must not be tied up in business or bound up in worldly enterprises but invested in God's work to advance truth and serve souls. Failure from spiritual indolence to make effort to win souls makes a person responsible for good that might have been done but was not done, and will bring self-condemnation at the judgment.

God gives every person his own work of seeking perishing souls to recover them from bondage, with powers and means fitted to ability and requiring prompt obedience to the impulse from heaven without delay. Each has an individual useful work to learn, living usefully, learning all that can be learned and then blessing others by imparting knowledge of truth and willingly sharing in bearing burdens. This work begins in the home and neighborhood and extends to church and all contacted, lifting up Jesus, warning, sowing seeds of truth, and making the light of truth visible including in the home. No one is excused, for even the humblest can serve according to ability, and those who teach truth should learn people's abilities and guide them step by step to recognize and carry responsibility in daily practice and constant work for Christ. The gifts are on loan with account to be required, and no human leader may claim ownership of another or dictate how chosen instruments serve.

Talents must be used unselfishly for others' good and for God's glory to win souls, relieve the suffering and needy, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help those struggling to keep from destitution, and support mission work, publishing, meetinghouses, sanitariums and schools. All over and above necessities is entrusted for blessing humanity, including the suffering poor at the door, and large gifts to institutions or church do not excuse neglect of this nearer duty. This benevolence must be done as laborers together with God trading on the Lord's goods, not with patronizing air seeking praise, but in love for those formed in His image. Means entrusted according to ability are a talent to be used not withheld or buried, including money as stewardship to be invested in preparing people for Christ's coming so He may receive His own with increase.

The privilege of knowing Bible truth must be improved by coming to the gospel feast, inviting others, going out into highways and hedges, and carrying truth to thousands in vice and iniquity that they may be redeemed from dissipation and sin. Faithfulness means not waiting until human examination pronounces competence but going out to begin work for God, serving humbly, learning from Christ, and sharing what is learned rather than being held back by excuses, worldly interests, love of ease or selfish indulgence. Trading means living in felt dependence openly acknowledged before worldly men as well as brethren, giving all honor to God, weeding out what grieves His Spirit, and improving every opportunity to add to acquirements. Much remains to be done in the vineyard in bringing in the poor and maimed and halt and blind, yet many who might use talents aright do almost nothing besides caring for self, leaving undone work that must be fulfilled to great loss.

A variety of gifts is needed to reach souls and win them to truth, including speaking before those not of faith and instructing believers how to work for best success. This includes making known health reform principles in large gatherings such as camp-meetings, with physicians learning to take part and give bright rays of light to the world. God makes His people partners worldwide and entrusts each with abilities and agencies to be used to the utmost because the end is near, establishing schools to educate youth, institutions for the sick in foreign lands, and raising self-denying medical missionaries who lift the cross, fill trust positions and educate others. In every age the Lord gives talents for saving the world, with faithful people consecrating all resources, surrendering mind and body, and shining as light-bearers sustained by God, using means to support teachers, open new fields and bring light to spiritual darkness.

When followers undertake work to enlighten and bless those around them they can expect divine aid, for as they do their part relying fully on God He strengthens them when strength is needed. The Holy Spirit helps every earnest willing worker, enabling further abilities and helping others receive intended opportunities and instruction. By diligently trading and putting trust in the One who understands them, endowments of even those with apparently few talents and little confidence will be greatly increased with influence enlarged under watchful care. Even one with only one talent can increase it to two and then by humble trusting work add two more, so work keeps growing, and one not eloquent can present truth in clear simplicity and work intelligently to the best of ability. Criticizing and discouraging workers, especially those with small gifts, does the enemy's work, so no discouraging word should be spoken and critics need individual conversion. The Lord will bless and assist every worker who walks humbly with eye single to His glory, including in building meetinghouses when means are scarce, but self-sufficiency leaves workers in finite strength.

Talents are to be used in personal missionary work with every man, woman and youth proclaiming truth and carrying it where unpreached, relieving suffering, and winning souls who win others. This means volunteering for canvassing work with all energies, helping wherever opportunity offers, sacrificing ease to enter places of error and darkness, speaking truth in simplicity, praying in faith, doing house-to-house labor, opening Scriptures, calling to repentance and sounding warning to prepare a people for the great day. Faculties given by God are to be diligently developed and used in this labor, for neglecting it brings condemnation as a slothful servant. Those who receive truth have a moral duty to use talents to reach others and win souls, including people with influence and capacity to support the work. The claim stands that the colored race has been given some of the best and highest talents to be improved in doing what God wants so as to become intelligent in His service.

The talent is a sacred trust measured to individual ability for home and foreign missionary work, and anointed eyes see its greatness, depth and vastness with breadth of mind to plan so enlightened workers are raised up yearly. Selfishness, covetousness, slothfulness and misconception of duty among professed children greatly lower and constrict the work by leaving this trust unused. Increase gained by diligent economical trading must be imparted to those fallen into distress, and those who do so become the Lord's right hand to work out benevolent purposes and fulfill covenant relation. Every penny held is entrusted capital in benevolent trust owed back to Him, to be so used as to reveal Christ's love, grace, mercy and compassion so many glorify God, while unfaithful use lets selfishness grow into covetousness which is idolatry.

The verse assigns to every man his own work in bearing the mighty testing warning message for this age, each according to ability, with no darkness or unbelief removing the assignment. Duty remains though moral darkness covers the earth and the pre-flood unbelief prevails, as Noah fulfilled his warning work though only eight were saved. Light must be imparted to all within one's sphere, especially family and world-loving brethren, by helpful example without mastery or desire to rule, cultivating love of truth above gold, weeding life of vanity, arousing fruit for the garner, and teaching by precept and example what it means to learn of Jesus. This requires taking Christ as partner, staying in unity with Him and brethren, and cooperating to extend knowledge of truth and save souls by earnest personal effort, laying up treasure to be given when all are rewarded according to works. God gives powers for proclaiming the testing message and drawing souls to the spread table and compelling them to come in despite frivolous excuses, jesting and rejection, while hiding talents means making no use of powers as the devil closes ears. Gifts must be put to work communicating truth, multiplied and returned to Him with rejoicing, including sharing warning and invitation to evangelize the world, with even smallest trust faithfully used preparing for greater trust. Precious talents must not be hidden but put to use in labor for the world and not believers alone, because duties are owed to the world and workers must stand in right relation to it.

Church Order and Mutual Duty

To every person God assigns his own work with opportunities for helpful service in every land, giving each one his task fitted according to his several ability, with work suited to ability by which all can live usefully, and education, practice and wise planning placing each where experience can be gained. The Lord calls rich and poor, great and humble alike to active service, using every trained mind, disciplined intellect and ability to enlighten and bless others and help save souls, and no talent is given without a purpose. Even a small talent faithfully used can accomplish the work God intends, and humble gifts are especially valuable in house-to-house ministry where they may accomplish more than brilliant gifts. Life is a time for sowing, and faithful use in His strength of what He has entrusted can produce a precious harvest, since not everyone is fitted for the same kind of service and each is to use and improve what has been entrusted seeking the best results.

Every church member is entrusted with talents for active work for Christ and fruit-bearing, and hiding them in the earth is the mark of slothful servants. Such servants do little for Christ, bear no fruit, increase in selfishness and unfaithfulness, put hope in the preacher and depend on his efforts to keep weak faith alive, expect to be tended like sick children, and complain of the Lord's dealing toward them. Those whom God has placed as overseers are to properly instruct members so the church develops instead of remaining a weak, dependent, inefficient body, and members must be educated to become efficient workers or the church withers and becomes fruitless. To every man is given his work according to capacity and not one is excused, for each has a part to act besides going to church and listening to the word, practicing the truth heard, carrying its principles into everyday life, and doing work for Christ constantly with an eye single to His glory. Every believer is a living stone in God's temple meant to shine and emit light, entrusted to labor not merely in secular employment such as raising corn and wheat but in earnest persevering labor for souls, doing the humble work nearest them rather than remaining idle do-nothings, for hearing truth without imparting what is received leaves churches barren and unfruitful and starves the receiver, while using present talents brings more grace and increased ability.

Varied gifts and agencies are needed because no one person's gift is sufficient for the whole work, with the Lord directing and instructing each worker according to ability. These differences do not make one person more valuable or give anyone all wisdom, and people with different strengths can supply one another's deficiencies and work together as a whole with shared burdens. Gifts are meant to help others walk in the right path, and unselfish service improves and increases them under God's direction for the good of the whole. Whatever ability, talent, wisdom or success any person has is not manufactured by himself but is sacred trust given by God as intrusted capital received from the Source of wisdom, to be wisely employed to His glory, so all strife for supremacy, self-exaltation and calling attention to defective self is out of place and Jesus alone is to be exalted. Talents and influence come from God, not from one's own character, and are to be guarded, put to good use and returned to Him, and when consecrated they bless others, bring people to Christ and enlarge the work with glory to God not man.

Leaders in responsible positions must set a right example by planning and working earnestly, must not gather all responsibilities thinking they can do them more perfectly but must educate others by example to think, act and lift burdens. Those entrusted with the work should train others, share burdens and give them room to act, placing increased responsibility upon each recipient so he grows by increased effort required to bear it. Every church large and small has been given talent for the Master's use that is not ready by itself but must be discerned and developed by wise laborers through training in practical methods under a well-organized plan to send workers into all the churches to teach members how to labor both for upbuilding of the church and for unbelievers. The requirement is still greater for those who profess to understand the way to life and take responsibility for guiding others therein, so teachers and ministers will be held to stricter account for using and increasing entrusted gifts. No one should undervalue the ability God has given or assume his own ability is all the work requires, for ministers are to serve faithfully within entrusted responsibilities and God uses workers with different capabilities each contributing what others lack, their combined service under the Holy Spirit advancing and completing the work.

Talents of many young people remain unused when they lack opportunities and encouragement to develop them, and education should draw out and put those abilities to use. Members who are inactive because they do not know what work to do should be taught how to serve, and small missions can help them use and increase talents in missionary work. Talents are entrusted to young men and women and younger members to be trained and put to use in missionary work, with overseers, older members and ministers to devise plans to train the young to do what is appointed them, to lead them to cooperate, and to give each one a part to act with regular reports of experience and success through grace. Some receive apparently but few talents and feel little confidence in capabilities, yet by diligently trading on the Lord's goods and putting trust in the One who understands them their endowments will be greatly increased, and criticizing and discouraging any worker especially those with small gifts does the work of the enemy so no discouraging word should ever be spoken to them. Each person should exercise talents in serving others, work that helps fellow members can build experience for wider service, and young people in particular are expected to develop knowledge and experience and apply them earnestly to the work before them.

The talent lent to a minister's wife is her opportunity and responsibility to work faithfully with her husband to do good and save souls, and God will require its faithful use and increase. She should willingly set aside personal wishes and comforts in carrying out that work and must not neglect it, for reward corresponds to faithful work while neglect and dependence on others weaken usefulness. Those who fail to improve what God gives lose everlasting life, while faithful effort brings the joy of the Lord's approval. The active mind and controlling home influence, especially power to give spiritual help and wise counsel to her husband, is such a talent, when rightly employed under the Holy Spirit making its holder a powerful instrument and great blessing, but when trained by the enemy to plant suspicion, untruthful distrust of brethren and resistance to counsel laid in ruins bringing displeasure and judgment and leaving both husband and wife almost useless. A husband's abilities and strength are among gifts God claims, and his wife can either support or hinder their fruitful use.

Specific entrusted influence and means show accountability, as Doctor Osborn's influence and means among acquaintances and relatives through publications could help bring people to truth if converted and devoted to God. The goods entrusted to Brother Smith Sharp could help the work if sanctified, but his use has been unprofitable to his soul and harmful to others, his ideas spreading like seeds and hindering the work. Faithful stewardship takes different forms, as Clarke was to use much time writing and helping others find truth but was not required to give away property, while those who have property are to share as prospered and take part in God's work. Money is a talent of means lent by God to be used for just such work as helping the cause in a new destitute field by giving to erect a sanitarium as memorial whereby God's name is magnified, believers made glad, burdened workers relieved, and hungry souls including higher classes reached with hope.

Responsibility for truth does not rest only on ministers who teach truth but on everyone who believes truth, each given work matching ability given him. Being content with formal religious duties, connecting religion only with the day of rest and ordinary church service while divorcing it from daily business, is not enough. Each one must do something for Jesus and make self-sacrifice for God, following His example who laid aside high command where angels worshiped Him and came to a world seared by sin and suffered and died the just for the unjust that fallen man might share His glory. Each worker must cultivate gifts entrusted and faithfully complete his own work rather than taking over another's task or judging work outside his own field, and faithful use can return them doubled to God.

The church is accountable for using gifts and opportunities according to abilities, and unimproved talents, imperfect fruit or light become darkness leave her wanting when weighed against blessings received. A faithful steward must actively use gifts in obedience and service strengthening others rather than criticizing them, each accountable for influence and words entrusted while working toward eternal life remembering Christ bears the world's sin. Ministering for Christ does not require being a preacher or being set apart for preaching, for many who are not preachers still minister, the Sun of Righteousness shining upon them revealing oneness with Christ. The Word is the man of their counsel, as they study Scriptures they understand what they read, they work in unity with no discordant opinions among those taught by God, true saints one in spirit and action bound by the Holy Spirit in union no satanic power can break.

Every member has individual responsibility, and when each humbly takes up work presenting itself, including women working in meekness to present the all-sufficiency of Jesus for humanity, the work goes on to success amid perplexity only as workers rely on God and consider directions given. God has given to every child and youth and every young man and woman a measure of power in entrusted talents calling all to make the most of them, talents including every ray of divine light received to be gathered and let shine on others' pathway for no man lives to himself, with individual responsibility rightly estimated by guarding every talent and trading to gain still others. All classes and all talents including money and mind, intellect, experience and capability are designed to be combined in unity in diversity to strengthen, edify, bless, enlarge and broaden His work. Money is a talent belonging to God not handlers, managers must treat it as God's money, united with sanctified intellect and wisdom in investment it upbuilds and sustains His work, used to please self it becomes a curse, and any scheme under pretense of serving God serving self reveals an aristocracy heaven will not tolerate.

God gives talents to every person, men, women and youth of various temperaments, callings and positions high and low rich and poor each according to ability for solemn service, each with individual power to devise and execute what is best for others and responsibility to the whole body. The talents are to be organized and brought into use to catch souls, arouse dormant energies, enlarge influence and enrich others with special gifts as co-workers with Christ and channels of light, daily connection with God giving insight into one's own life and others' including valuing those with tact to watch for souls and discern spiritual questions. All are required to understand practical principles of Christianity in the work they do, whatever gifts or service, and all have the same account to render working to the same end. God requires each to do his best trading diligently and carefully, high position with great influence not making a man trustworthy nor low position making responsibility small or excusing laxness, self-indulgence and self-serving, with no one left to plod without increasing in knowledge but defect overcome by will to grow taxing mind to use all capabilities unto perfection. Hindering truth-filled publications that carry light through a humble instrument is withholding talents from the steward and robbing God, showing blindness, hardness, narrow ideas and no sense of stewardship unless repented causing removal.

Faithful communication of truth belongs to old and young not ministers only, talents including opportunities and knowledge to be improved by sharing light received, work the Saviour greatly values. The talent is light and truth and messages from heaven lent as to entrusted agents, each to reflect and impart fresh bright ideas given through the Holy Spirit rather than cherishing light within or burying it where it benefits none. Burying is the course of the unfaithful servant when greater light shines treated as darkness through stubborn refusal, while faithful use increases wisdom enriching mind with brighter thoughts so the more imparted the more there is to give. As Christians use talents they multiply them and help the church become a light to the world. The Master gives His people talents of influence and calls them to use those talents in the church because He has need of them there, sanctified and put to use a great blessing both to users and to the church.

Warnings Against Misuse and Waste

Misuse buries the trust, for giving God-given powers to novel reading wastes them and brings the reader unknowingly under Satan's control, while faithful use turns to Christ and to speaking of Christ. The heavenly Master is now on His journey and talents are in human hands for a short gracious probation, to be traded today by advancing His cause and relieving the widow and fatherless, not abused for pride, position, extravagance, vain show, ambition and profligate selfishness, for abused talents reflect a terrible curse whereas faithful unselfish use glorifies God, blesses others, makes the soul like a watered garden, and gives joy at reaping time in gathered sheaves as the recompense of fidelity. Talents include intellect, affections, speech, influence, means, power and every faculty belonging to God, and even one talent faithfully used can be made fruitful, while reckless words, harmful influence, and careless low conversation misuse these gifts, harm minds and character, waste opportunities, and bury what was entrusted, for which there is accountability. Burying the talent means investing and hiding means in earthly treasures such as improved farms and buildings added to building, cultivating heart, labor, tact and skill for worldly possessions instead of heavenly things, yet enriched farms and buildings cannot earn the well done nor be taken to heaven, for last-day fires will consume them, and to count money put into larger plans for extending the work as lost is to exalt the earthly above the eternal by a heart that can only estimate earthly treasure. Means are the Lord's capital of capability, influence, money and riches entrusted to every person for redemption, not to be lavishly spent in selfish gratification of unholy desire but to bless humanity by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping those wrestling to keep from the pauper's home including the suffering poor at the door, a duty large gifts to institutions do not excuse, to be done as laborers together with God without patronizing air or seeking praise.

Hiding the talent out of fear, covetousness, unbelief, distrust of God or fear of future need deprives others of benefit and the holder of heavenly treasure, wastes opportunities and loses eternal reward, for even little worldly wealth must be trusted to God and used for His work. The one-talent servant's fear that his master would benefit from improvement shows that grudgingly withholding resources brings no reward, and responsibility for means cannot be shifted to spouse or children by transfer but remains until returned to God. One entrusted with one talent is accountable for that one and not for five or two, yet fear of future need and distrust lead to hoarding instead of good, which fails stewardship and must be answered for. To occupy till He comes means putting money, influence and mental powers out to use in doing good, presenting truth, supplying necessities, blessing others, advancing the cause and saving precious souls bought at infinite price after Christ's example, and at His long-delayed return He reckons strictly and rewards according to zeal, fidelity and success with rulership, entrance into His joy, and souls as stars, while hiding in napkin and earth for no profit, calling His goods one's own, seeking self-advantage and feeling no accountability, testifies one is not a Christian and is unprepared for eternity, since houses and lands cannot be taken to heaven and means are as sand except as used for God. Houses, lands, honors, riches, grace, light and discovered beauty and power of truth are given to save souls as the life-work of all because the Master soon demands principal and interest, earthly treasure cannot in smallest portion enter glory and can be destroyed in hours by fire, probation may close at any time, and devoting existence to laying up earth to neglect of spiritual life profits nothing at death or appearing and lowers moral worth before God's tribunal.

Using talents and influence against Christ makes one a rebel, and prominence and value of the talent used for Satan increases guilt and makes punishment sure, for obligation is to use all to advance His kingdom and build up rather than tear down, man's value and accountability being known only by Calvary, penalty proportionate to redemption's price, with all worldly value sinking beside prepared bliss and woe. Misused gifts must answer for good that could have been done by provision made through Christ, and those accountable for response to the gospel who reject its messages for finite reasoning turn trust from God. Ability fully yielded to Christ makes one strong in God, but unsurrendered ability proves dangerous to self and others by leading apart from truth and away from Christ. Mental faculties and powers given to men and women are not to be perverted to Satan's service nor employed to mingle error with truth and tamper with false dishonoring doctrines, which prostitutes powers and brings weakness, to be guarded by preserving simplicity of faith with Solomon's history as warning. The greater and more valuable the gifts, the greater the responsibility to use them rightly, and use in Satan's service brings greater condemnation.

Devoting abilities to worldly interests instead of advancing God's cause does not please God, for abilities that gain worldly success can be consecrated where human skill joins divine power, and when only part of entrusted work is done the unused portion works against Christ. Jesus entrusts goods, wealth, opportunities and abilities according to capacity and will call each to account, hoarded goods become a snare and witness requiring return of what belongs to Him for use in His service, and selfish withholding retards His work while even a small willing offering with understanding is accepted and can be greatly increased. Talents of skill and worldly treasure with opportunities are to cooperate with Christ as channels imparting wisdom, revealing His attributes, advancing His kingdom, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and helping widow and fatherless to His glory, having value only in the Giver's design, while selfish use for gain robs God of glory, withholds designed help, causes serious loss to the Master, and in judgment clever rich-making schemes bring no acceptance, riches no peace, and the receiver who was not a producer is rejected as unfaithful with victims' cries registered against him. Selfish misuse through love of money or desire for supremacy robs God and harms others.

Time, life, health, strength, ability and opportunity are a probationary sacred trust belonging to God by creation and redemption at great cost, bodily, mental and spiritual powers with influence and skill held not outright but to test faithfulness in uplifting humanity, to be developed by exercise and doubled in service with each answering in judgment, reasoning ability excusing no neglect. Sacred trusts of means, opportunities, abilities, light and present truth are proportioned to capability so greatest means bear greatest responsibility for souls in error, yet none should mourn ungiven talents, for the lowly uneducated are not expected to work as the champion, poverty to give what it has not, nor the feeble sick to give the healthy's energies, but the one talent must be put to exchangers and labored with whole soul to convert others in its own sphere, for rill must run though not river and lamp shine though not star, and humblest service accepted according to what man hath will be asked no more than all one can do. Wasting time wastes the mind's powers and leaves God's work undone, making neglectful servants unprofitable and accountable.

Talents are gift and trust to be doubled by use and returned in consecrated service by trading, improving capabilities, using every jot of ability and acquiring spiritual and temporal talents, means and souls to invest, with all money and influence the Lord's to sustain His work by large and small freewill offerings to enlighten darkness and bring souls to Jesus, each answering individually according to work, while dishonest use, masterly overbearing cruelty toward His heritage, and buying up another's talents by finite judgment or becoming conscience for another violate the trust. Gifts from Heaven for God's glory and the world's good can be despised, abused and misapplied when used wrongly, must be faithfully used and returned with increase under accountability, with no boasting of endowments, position or achievement since all are God's. Enough may already be entrusted in even small responsibility to manage faithfully, covetously taking more can burden beyond right management, and abilities that do much good for Him do great harm when turned to selfish ends.

God entrusts talents of intellect for His glory to humble consecrated men from common believers according to ability, not to ordained ministers only, and those of quick understanding who follow on to know the Lord with consecrated minds become fit to understand His work and receive trust. Even highest talents are entrusted when men come as little children and learners receiving His wisdom, to be traded and increased for glory and salvation of perishing souls. Human ability and wisdom are not one's own to trust and exalt but talent to prove right use, requiring in business not to omit heaven and reckoning nor make religion subservient to world and selfish interests but subordinate world to religion in self-distrust as little children. If those entrusted refuse use after test He leaves them to imaginings and takes men not appearing richly endowed with no large self-confidence, making the weak strong as they trust Him to do what they cannot, accepting whole-hearted service, making up deficiencies, molding material others would pass by for His glory, opening heaven's door by simple means and revealing God through human simplicity.

Careless habits in ordinary work carry into religious life and unfit for effective service, in contrast to faithful stewardship opposed to idleness. Spending entrusted means and abilities on self-gratification instead of helping others leaves work undone under individual judgment, hinders God's cause, and dishonors God by refusing humble obedience and Christ's cross, for what is received remains the Lord's to be used by His counsel rather than tied up or spent on selfish pleasure, with return proportioned to receipt so one talent is not required as five. Talents of capital, means, privileges and spiritual gifts are lent for the brotherhood to invest in turning men from sin to righteousness by seeking first the kingdom, by which the fallen bought by Christ's life recognize value through given facilities, while hoarding and selfish pricing rob the poor and make the hoarder Satan's co-partner. Condemnation rests not on being rich or riches possessed if not by injustice, but on selfishly spending the Lord's goods on grand houses, costly furniture, luxurious tables and hoarded treasure while leaving the needy unaided, for money cannot be carried beyond life but good deeds and faithful investment are laid beside God's throne, the hoarder taking none to heaven, securing no treasure, forgetting obligation, dishonoring Maker, with robbery written opposite his name and weighed wanting as unfaithful having had good things in this life. Money spent extravagantly on selfish gratification instead of God's work fails stewardship before coming reckoning.

Prosperity is the Lord's talent in trust to do good, advance His cause, and bring tithes and offerings as property accumulates, requiring daily consecration with thanksgiving and growth in faith and love rather than trusting riches or expecting favor for them, lest without consecration talents turn to wrong channels doing positive harm and alluring souls Christ died for. Abundant means can weaken incentive to develop abilities and share, hindering faithful stewardship. Money and ability belong to God to be improved for His work, and burying them unimproved robs God, wastes His time and property and retards what capital could advance, as do idleness, refusing work unless personally benefited, criticizing in moral darkness, grasping large wages for little, and planting that selfish example to double others' burdens. Peculiar gifts lent by God are to be traded in consecrated service to bring Him glory and revenue and be doubled, not made basis for demanding large salaries on mercenary foundation, for principal and interest must be handed back with account of use or misuse, and demanders of large pay do not return what He requires since to whom much is given much is required.

Faithful use requires seeking God's wisdom, trusting Jesus and praying for the Spirit to guide a clear approved course benefiting others, rather than using gifts unconsecrated through impulsive haphazard deeds while neglecting nearby opportunities. Gifts entrusted according to ability during His absence are to be put to work, purified from corruption and refined for the Master's use as part of preparing for His coming. Money only lent by God must be traded for increase with careful wise use keeping His work supreme by high pure principles because great possibilities remain, and spending on needless foolish indulgences such as house ornamentation, expensive furniture, jewelry and eye-pleasing beauties while missions are unestablished, meetinghouses unbuilt, missionaries unsupported, souls unsaved and youth uneducated brings His condemnation even where the heart does not worship them. Letting time pass in indifference to His requirements, misusing reason and intellect, and frittering opportunities on amusements and self-gratification lets the enemy conquer, deprives God of service and imperils eternal interests, while individually accepting responsibility, seeking the Lord and having moral courage conquers to eternal blessing, for Satan makes means a corrupting evil fastening hearts on earthly treasure to ignore God and destroy body, mind and morals, being god of this world only as men choose him.

Faithful Practice and Daily Life

The verse teaches the solemn duty of unselfish, watchful labor that prepares for Christ's second coming, yet labor alone does not perfect character, for personal piety must be cultivated alongside diligent service, with faith working by love to purify the soul and with time spent in selfish pleasure lost for eternity. No idlers are excused, for talents from the lowliest to the highest are the Master's capital to be traded upon, usefulness increasing by use, and the day of final account will reckon with every servant justified by faith and judged by works, while amusement that disqualifies for secret prayer and the prayer meeting is unsafe. The Lord calls rich and poor, great and humble alike to active service, assigning place and gifts with purpose and work suited to ability, so that even a small talent faithfully used can accomplish its intended work and humble gifts may prove more useful in house-to-house ministry than brilliant gifts. Life is a time for sowing that faithful use in His strength can make a precious harvest, day by day trading for time and eternity with reward proportionate to work, and love for Jesus is shown in zeal, devotion and perseverance rather than weak inefficient efforts and wasted hours.

For young physicians the verse means using gifts in service rather than seeking human praise, being producers as well as consumers, and for all it means looking to God for counsel to use intellect, heart, affection, conscience and bodily powers with skill on behalf of suffering humanity. Physicians are to use knowledge to reach others, several workers should share responsibility rather than leaving it to one, each worker is to put personal abilities to best use without waiting for greater opportunity, and genius and capabilities must be sanctified under the Spirit's government lest self supreme bring deception and rashness. Disregarding light and gifts is unsafe, for talents are sacred trusts to be improved through diligent service with account required of both original trust and increase, gifts belonging to God who requires an account of both what was entrusted and what it produced. Stewardship requires faithful, earnest, vigilant working as well as waiting, time spent on unimportant matters counting as neglected duty, and money invested in missionary work can be returned doubled through souls won.

Every talent lent is to be improved so as to double the entrusted capital, faithful use producing proportionate increase with each answering individually to the Lord, and diligent use whether great or small will bring returns as the Lord's portion. Life, health, reason, strength, time and talents are the Lord's goods to be used wisely, with strict account required of nothing more strictly than time, life too short for fame or selfish gratification, and even one talent faithfully devoted to help the needy increasing in value beyond human calculation. No one whatever his calling is released from trading on lent goods to please the Lord and return faithful increase, no one is to underrate talents whether many or few, be an idler, or let money pass without result. Each must examine himself weekly, learn day by day his work, practice economy, study, prayer and consecration, and responsibility is proportionate to gifts so the greatest talent bears the heaviest burden.

Each person receives individual gifts not only the favored with genius, including time, reason, means, strength, mental powers and tenderness of heart, influence, life and opportunities in whatever surroundings, for blessing humanity, and improving them is a strong feature of probationary life. One soul is worth more than mansions and gold, talents include the treasure of knowledge to be gathered with Christ rather than hidden to discourage souls, and letting time pass in indifference, misusing reason and frittering opportunities on amusement imperils eternal interests. Talents are God's property including intelligence, experience, power and facilities, He is to be asked for wisdom and allowed to plan distribution rather than concentrating means in one place, and prosperity in one field is meant to benefit other territories with liberality. Means sent where experienced workers can use them multiplies talents, money put to wise use lays up treasure in heaven, and indifference to relievable distress insults God.

Character formed in this life by integrity toward God and others in using even small talents determines fitness for eternal life, building character and service now for the last great day determines reward or punishment with no second probation afterward, and obtaining future glory depends on bringing the will under subjection to Christ's will. All money and ability are to be traded until Christ comes to reckon, especially in earnest persevering labor for souls in darkness by house-to-house witnessing and selling truth-filled books, failure making one responsible for good that might have been done. Faithful stewards must apply means where need is greatest, giving freely even beyond first purpose when urgency requires, such as funding a meeting house or helping worthy students, investing wisely across branches rather than concentrating in one institution. Faithfulness means giving where need is seen, putting money to the exchangers, helping destitute towns and impoverished localities, building humble houses of worship, and no one may bargain away stewardship to conference or institution.

God tests day by day whether people acknowledge Him as giver, use of precious endowments decides worthiness for eternal riches, talents whether large or small are held only in trust to test and try those entrusted, and the use of endowments decides destiny for eternity with scales balanced accurately. Each receives just according to improvement, efforts in righteousness affecting recompense, and neglect brings loss even of abilities that could have been developed. Right service requires stopping where God has set the bound, with time too short to seek fame or devote life to selfish gratification, life a precious boon not given for selfish gratification, and remaining inactive leaves servants unproductive while doing the entrusted work helps others learn truth. Working where one is, walking with God and imparting precious truth prepares for higher responsibility, and improving the past preserves gain as treasure continually imparted in order to continue receiving.

Putting mind and soul into improving the work brings precious reward, fulfilling responsibility brings spiritual growth and stronger faith, faithful service develops character for greater work as with Moses and Enoch, and investing every talent to best advantage brings wisdom, satisfaction, peace and grace. Love for Jesus is shown in zeal, devotion and perseverance to make the world better, God is not pleased with weak inefficient efforts or wasted hours, faithful active use makes usefulness increase, and faithfulness brings approval while time and capabilities must not be boasted of as one's own. Gifts make people God's stewards dependent on Him and accountable for magnifying His name, each worker is accountable to God and must learn day by day his work, each steward holds solemn individual responsibility that cannot be shifted, and God not any earthly master is the one to whom the worker answers.

Teachers should increase talents through exercise by using what they attained, education should draw out unused talents of many young people, church members should use what God gave to carry truth and establish new churches, and members must be educated to become living stones emitting light. God values consecration and sacrifice shown in wholehearted devotion, improving talents to the best of ability presents a consecrated offering as fragrant incense, and even a small offering given wholeheartedly is accepted with value measured by motive and willing love. The one talent must be used for Christ, dividing service between God and worldly aims wastes the gift, and the servant with one talent who used it brought eighteen to the truth. The gifts are responsibilities to be used in God's service with every faculty developed for His glory, God entrusts each person with gifts and makes it possible to acquire more, and faithful use leads to growth in grace and knowledge and to receiving further grace and greater capability.

Talents are to be laid without reserve at Christ's feet, letting Him occupy the throne of the soul temple, working with God in submission of will and openly confessing faith as Joseph and Daniel did, and faithful stewardship is seeking first God's kingdom through prayer and acknowledging Him as wisdom's source. Faithful stewardship includes studying the Bible as understandable, educating the young, physicians pointing the sick to the Saviour, rightly using even smallest daily duties in cheerful obedience which is true sanctification, and improvement is shown in good works and unselfish acts testifying for God. The work given is the seed scattered deciding the harvest for time and eternity, sowing truth and love brings joy and eternal reward while sowing unbelief works death, and though the sower of evil seed may repent pardon does not change the seed.

Parents are stewards of talents in their children and must deal with each child according to his ability, preoccupying the heart early with truth and teaching tenderly that Christ is personal Saviour, with accountability for wise use of every faculty taught by instruction and example. Reasoning powers of children are precious talents to be developed, parents who fail to train rob God, and money must not be tied up to make a show or wasted even on children but put into active circulation to bring truth to souls. Christ as Master commissions every worker as He did Elijah and Jeremiah, amid last-day temptations genuine workers acknowledge no earthly master and watch for souls as those who must give account, and as God gave special skill to men appointed to devise for the tabernacle so He still gives brainpower and appoints work now. Entrusted work is a test of sincerity of conversion and loyalty shown especially in use of worldly resources and compassionate labor for the needy, and talents test and try those entrusted with money, houses and lands selfishly hindering the work.

Trading upon the goods means taking up work where one is beginning with faithful home responsibilities then extending outward, living good works after holy principles constrained by Christ's love with the Holy Spirit cooperating to increase tact, and every converted family is accepted for special service including training each child. Talents of means, ability and opportunity are made effective only by cooperation with God requiring care, economy and seizing every opening, faithful work requires cooperation between human agent and God with the Holy Spirit supplying will and power, and right use requires giving self first to the Master in surrender. The gifts are given to advance the gospel, relieve suffering, feed the hungry and care for widow and fatherless, the receiver must become a producer using and imparting without abuse, and accumulating by selfish withholding robs God and loses the soul. Capabilities succeed only when self is hid with Christ, consecration makes men laborers together with God with Father and Son working through the worker, success is providence rewarding faith and persevering labor, and spiritual things are controlled by principles as certain as natural laws requiring means and wise planning.

The verse calls every believer to do his assigned part in unity without pride since all capacity comes from God, preparing by study and cultivating all powers while divine power cooperates, including proper cultivation of the Huntsville farm and school and seeking Boston by sanitarium work and tent meetings so all hear the last message. God requires all to learn to communicate what they received, yet no one can rightly measure his own or another's gift since God alone knows its importance, and one person must respect another's gifts without envy or claiming sole control since different workers make different aspects clearer. Talents including treasures of grace are given back to God for saving souls in new places to be improved by God's way with Christ-given power, those entrusted with much must trade intelligently surrendering all capabilities with no wasting, and faithful use for God's glory brings precious light. When all members improve talents the church gains power and its light dispels darkness, young people are expected to develop and consecrate talents to bless others, talents are to be put to work whether sowing or reaping to communicate God's blessings, and the Lord will bless humble workers.

The measure of ability does not excuse indifference and each is expected to do his utmost with self-denying consecration cooperating with God, gifts are for God's glory not self-glorification or higher wages, and speech and every particle of influence are entrusted to benefit others and oppose the enemy. Ordinary business and temporal duties are part of appointed work and not lost time, churches are spiritually dying when they fail to teach members and share work, sisters receive talents and must consecrate now rather than rust while waiting, and in medical work each is to use abilities to represent truth. The verse includes stewardship of helping the poor and faithfully giving tithes, means Christ has absolute right to all making each steward on probation to test character, this life is a school for eternity in which mind and money must be doubled, and withholding consecration is robbery since riches cannot ransom a soul. Every talent is to be improved in faithful service because the Lord is soon to come requiring setting men at work now, work is to be done faithfully where one is rather than longing for different work, faithfulness leaves no room for sleep with thousands perishing, and reward is according to work actually given.

Influence has value according as heaven-entrusted capabilities are exercised in doing good, means entrusted are to be put out to usury to multiply manifold, even the highest talents are entrusted when men come as little children, and education should help youth develop reasoning powers for missionary work. Those with small talents must act according to ability including giving small donations, human agents are accountable to right and justice without fraud, God has given everyone a work with slothful Christians like chaff among wheat, and entrusted abilities are to be used for good rather than left unused through idleness. Christ entrusts different amounts according to capacity to be used to win souls, fear that uneducated workers may do harm must not leave talents unused, abilities in differing measure are to be increased through use and consecrated to God who has first claim, and every talent is needed to bring people from darkness to light. Every capability is to be actively used in work that saves others and not spent in selfish gratification, talents are gifts to be traded not hoarded requiring honest earning, and life and every ability are the Lord's capital watched from infancy to be used as required with waste accounted for.

Faithfulness is required through every period of life from childhood to old age with every moment recorded, every spiritual gift is a sacred trust to advance God's work with those knowing present truth to be channels of light, and burying time and money is hiding them in worldly enterprises while distributing them is working to save souls. Abilities in differing measures are gifts to be developed and returned with increase increasing capability, excellent qualifications for a Christian physician must be sanctified under the Spirit's government, and whatever position one who knows truth has is held in trust to carry forward educational work for perishing souls. Very small children can do family missionary work that the Lord accepts with words awakening other hearts, property means and grace are sacred trusts to be improved whether small or great, and proof of calling is earnestness to grow until an able workman. Rightly used talents develop like money put to exchangers growing in capability by looking to Jesus, different amounts of means are entrusted to be used faithfully including lending to strengthen medical missionary work, and ability to write books must be used as God's trust rather than placed wholly under human control.

Entrusted talents place people where God proves whether they are registered daily as faithful stewards with the Spirit making them co-partners with Christ, including cleverness, tact, skill, wisdom, time, opportunity, means, His Word and Spirit to be used in soul-saving, and faithful use proves fitness for greater light rewarded with more talents. Talents are a trust for service not grounds for criticizing others, when means are sent where experienced workers can use them those talents are multiplied, varied skills and tools each open a field with responsibility, and gifts and unusual ability are to be poured back by teaching fellow workers. In every age the Lord gives His people talents for saving the world with faithful people consecrating all resources, differing ability is entrusted to advance His work and bring light laying up treasure, and powers wisely governed are to sustain those carrying heavy responsibilities with accountability. Talents for His service can take different forms including time, experience and influence to be used faithfully guided by the Spirit especially in proclaiming truth's message because time is short, requiring strict economy investing money without partiality rather than burying it in land, and human capabilities require staying at the appointed post inquiring at every step.

Christ as absent Lord entrusts His work as a test with talents of means and encouragement given to support the difficult work assigned for the colored people in the South immediately after emancipation, so honoring Him means giving needed help while withholding means fails the test, and neglecting that southern work is unfaithful stewardship. One may have ability for excellent work opening new fields erecting plain buildings which God accepts yet lack ability for regular school work, faithful stewardship takes different forms, God gives talents to be traded and improved to glorify Him with every jot of influence accounted for, and value depends on wholehearted effort joined with divine power. Every person is given gifts and ingenuity to retain the Lord's favor with those greatly favored bearing great responsibility, gifts used faithfully in this life will be used on a wider plan in the life to come, God gives everyone a task suited to ability where even a small task can glorify God with no belittling another's work. Each must faithfully do God-given work even when fellow workers undervalue him with limits to authority and room to prove themselves, every truly converted member has definite work receiving grace to save the lost with failure recorded, and those entrusted as stewards are to use what they receive to advance righteousness.

A servant must not belittle what is entrusted but use differing ability prayerfully doing small humble work and teaching others to unite in pioneer work, the great light from God's Word is one blessing to be studied for best use with each on test, and influence and every capability are precious talents lent by God not proof of personal worth. The work dearest to Christ is drawing souls by carrying truth's light while absorption in worldly pursuits leaves work undone, talents are to be traded so imparting brings richer receiving with Christ's example showing humble practical use, and every hour of probation is God's gift to be improved and given back with additions. God has made His people the depository of sacred truth requiring helping needy brethren as prospered, God gives every person his own work requiring self-education and seeking wisdom with sanctified knowledge organizing workers by ability, and requires educating all powers to return what is entrusted with increase. Ministers receive different special gifts for different places and must not complain or envy but accept their gift, requiring improving talents while working in harmony, time and abilities belong to God by purchase to be consecrated to bringing sons and daughters to Jesus with husband and wife as co-laborers.

Neglecting suffering people and spending resources on luxury instead of helping them is misuse, talents are to be wisely put to best use including parents cultivating piety at home, and skill, health and powers are entrusted to gather means by faithful use requiring youth to learn work and give to missions. Burying a talent is failing to use it for God's work while faithful use includes serving His institutions rather than selfish speculation, calling for giving the whole person through constant improvement toward highest character, and trading is living in felt dependence giving God all honor improving every opportunity. Experience and character should match talents of light through growing faith with condemnation proportionate to neglected grace, talents include mental powers not to be perverted to Satan's service or mingling error with truth with Solomon's history as warning, and minds and talents are in trust with no one to lord it over another's mind. Trading on the talents is the whole work of life day by day in solemn connection with the second coming requiring prayerful attention to pride and speech, improving talents means caring for the poor and gathering people to honor Christ, and those given light must reflect light with no accountability for light never received.

Returning talents means doing noble work to help someone reclaim himself so self dies and obedience lifts above what would unfit for heaven, gifts can be wisely improved or abused with wise use building moral strength, and money is the Lord's capital held in readiness for His call including now to help workers and needy institutions such as the Madison school. Every penny belongs to the Lord not to please self but invested to create facilities and lead people to see the nearness of the end, talents represent gifts and the church has received great light hiding which brings judgment so those who received light must let it shine because Jesus is soon coming, and faithful use means reflecting light so Christ is made known. Mental and physical power must be diligently used toward perfection to God's glory, letting powers stagnate is the slothful servant defrauding the soul while faithfulness rises to emergencies like Daniel and Joseph, entrusted talents must be worked with zeal proportionate to truth shared, and every talent must be used in vital connection with the Master-worker to warn like a lighthouse. Trading means putting abilities to work including building church and school buildings, Christians learn practical Christianity by using what they have where using gifts to share light develops strength, believers especially ministers are to use what they have to reach those who do not know truth, and each is to use what God entrusted in spiritual education imparting to others.

The duty taught is not to seek greatness but to do the work at hand with self-government improving even few talents, people are to trade wisely becoming producers rather than merely consuming benefits, greater light brings heavier obligations to invest means in winning souls, and entrusted means are to be multiplied through gifts and shared influence with faithfulness in old age examining use of money. Misapplying money by unconsecrated counsel, absorbing all received instead of producing returns, dishonest use and buying up another's talents violate the trust for all money belongs to the Lord, ministers who profess to understand the way are held to stricter account with time on unimportant matters counting as neglected duty, and those in positions of trust must not mislead those they educate. The church will be weighed against benefits and clear light faithful improvement should have produced, final decisions turn on practical benevolence with every act acknowledged as done to Christ, devoting time and means to self is a terrible mistake requiring unreserved consecration, and skillful consecrated use shows all belongs to the Lord. Each person has an appointed part suited to differing abilities to be carried out together with no member inactive, in an institution responsibility should be carried by several workers rather than one physician with physicians exchanging knowledge, influence is a talent to cherish to bring souls, and every worker has an assigned place to enlist others.

God places people in holy trust and will qualify them by His Spirit if they maintain consecration, study, prayer and walk in His counsel, best use of all powers is earnest endeavor to carry out His plan as both learner and teacher gathering and sharing light beginning at once, and entrusted blessings are not for selfish use but to be shared. When all consecrate themselves far more work can be done and even the one talent can increase in value with sure reward, life and talents are entrusted not owned independently so using them only for self makes an unfaithful steward whose plans God may end, and God entrusts different capacities including mental ability and money to be cultivated to the fullest. God entrusts means to honor Him rather than lead others to ruin, remaining inactive leaves servants unproductive, faithful stewards wisely using means receive greater trust, faith that works by love puts goods diligently to work to win people in contrast to fearfully tying up means like the one-talent servant, and hiding talents means burying truth failing to warn about the Sabbath. Talents are not to be surrendered to the enemy for Christ bought His people so they should give strongest abilities, faithful use for God's glory brings precious light though not all are called to preach, gifts belong to God requiring account of both trust and produce, and stewards are accountable with gifts taken from the selfish and given to the honorable.

Wasting gifts is conduct of an unfaithful servant, neglect through idleness violates the call to work with Christ, neglect of cultivating talents is sinful slothfulness condemning selfishness so each is to serve with zeal, and faithful service blesses others and advances salvation while neglect makes one unfaithful. Even those with fewer qualifications must make the most through diligence and training for Christ's coming, even the single talent is needed with channels everywhere and meetinghouses to be built debt-free, rightly employing property has eternal consequences with offerings accepted when freely given, and talents test those entrusted with selfish use hindering the work. All entrusted is to be wholly consecrated, improved and doubled by use and returned day by day first giving self then giving back what He gave by asking God, doing His will and imparting to the needy, gifts can be despised or misapplied though given for God's glory, and no one is meant to remain idle. Each talent is to be used to God's glory especially in persevering labor for souls in darkness, building character now determines reward with no other chance, at final judgment each must answer for intellect and wealth, life is sacred and each day's choices shape destiny, and reward depends on earnestness with refusal bringing eternal loss.

Diligent use whether great or small will bring returns as the Lord's portion, all believers are to show active virtues so others may see truth's power, no gift however small is to be disregarded but multiplied for missions, even one faithfully devoted to help the needy increases in value, and faithful self-denying service brings sure reward. Self-denial, plain living and careful use of time preserve strength for God's cause with accountability to return increase, influence and everything entrusted are to be used for His glory, the Lord entrusts each with work suited to ability and then departs requiring faithful care during absence, and responsibility is measured by what each received with greatest talent bearing heaviest burden. Entrusted gifts and privileges are loans to be returned with increase testing whether people love God or idolize advantages, professing belief is not enough but everyone professing Christ is responsible for using reason in nearest duties with urgency as history closes, and neglecting to watch and pray or becoming self-sufficient disqualifies for action. Gifts including treasures of truth are to be used every day to the utmost in self-denying work for others nearby and beyond, refusal makes one unfaithful answerable for what is His, people are to work earnestly while remaining learners, and a variety of gifts is needed to win souls including physicians learning this work.

God enriches the church with means to supply His treasury and relieve degradation while indifference to relievable distress insults God, God entrusts intellect and if refusers are tested He uses the weak trusting Him, and God entrusts time requiring faithfulness in assigned work with diligent timely results. Every church member has dormant gifts to be worked to the utmost with trained minds, those entrusted with goods must handle them with kindness not exacting every cent, God helps people improve gifts with life as trust, and children's reasoning powers are precious talents to be developed with parents who fail to train robbing God. Different abilities including inventive genius come from God even when Christ is not recognized and rapid travel can serve His purposes, precious time is given to show appreciation for compassion and wasting it loses service, talents of mind do not themselves form character which comes through effort, grace and struggle against defects. Means is an entrusted talent to strengthen God's work including lending on favorable terms to medical missionary work, those called to preach should diligently improve talents with wise support, improving talents advances God's glory as thanksgiving, and knowledge of sacred truth requires honoring truth by heeding conversation and becoming wise counselors.

Talents include means, brain and mechanical power to be bound up with the cause with all of a person as in liberal work for Australia, all a person has is entrusted with absolute claim to be consecrated not used in self-indulgence, and human life with time and means is under God's disposal bought with a price owing life-service. God desires people to enjoy blessing by rightly using His stores while continued unfaithfulness brings destruction requiring firm standing, God owns lent talents with individual accountability in mutual dependence designing humanity as consecrated channels, and entrusted means must be invested while opportunity lasts to prepare missionaries with reward for emergencies. Gifts must not be neglected or damaged through harmful habits lest others be deprived, differing talents apply to workers requiring correction of mistakes in treatment and pay, gifts must be diligently improved helping a person become more like Christ as the Saviour controls mind and heart, and the Lord increases talents of those willing to work by faith with money used to save souls laying up treasure. Words are a talent more precious than gold to be used only for comfort requiring conversion of heart and tongue, differing abilities are His to carry truth not to be buried in worldly enterprises or diverted to build divisions, and money as His goods must be used with discretion counting cost in building with taste and economy with reference to destitute fields.

Work and responsibility are given per ability requiring business tact and caretaking for prosperity of God's office with neglect placing the name under unfaithful servant, what is entrusted remains His sacred trust lent in partnership to be returned with increase, and every person is assigned work with no freedom to live idly pleasing self. Every person is accountable for wise improvement and careful management in small expenses as well as larger matters, faithful work requires cooperation with God and the Holy Spirit planting truth to control life, and right use requires giving self first surrendering all and sacrificing pride instead of taking talents for self. Intellect and other powers are to be used for others' good with intellect used for vice becoming a curse and true worth measured by faithful service not distinction, talents represent spiritual and temporal gifts to be guarded and wisely exercised becoming increasingly effective as the day draws near, and abilities must not be claimed as personal glory or overused. The active mind and home influence especially a minister's wife's power to counsel her husband is a talent for good rightly employed under the Spirit but trained by the enemy to plant suspicion it brings judgment and uselessness, entrusted means, time and strength are to be used to bless others including gifts through unbelievers received with gratitude, and money lent is to be used for work such as erecting a sanitarium as memorial reaching hungry souls.

The beginning of work in a new field is opportunity to use capabilities by working, praying, believing and self-denial knowing without faith it is impossible to please God, entrusted money includes funds to help families in need putting resources to work to receive eternal life, and those entrusted with money, time and strength must invest wisely avoiding waste and concentration in one place. God's institutions are like merchant houses where heavenly goods are deposited and traded to share light near and far without using trusts for individual advantage, fear of cruel words and envy can keep people from improving what God gave, and what is entrusted is to be used to earn honest wages, carry burden for souls and educate children to succeed while failure produces indolence. Every talent in the church is to be used in doing good kept in proper balance, entrusted gifts are to be improved with tact and heavenly wisdom to honor Christ including keeping the soul in God's love, skill to organize God's work is His gift to be used with foresight without worldly show, and using talents brings ennobling joy with reformation beginning at home rather than accusing brethren. Talents are sacred to be always employed for one's own salvation and others', to be used in extending reform with much expected of those entrusted, stewards are expected to put what they receive to active service with neglect wasting talents and risking spiritual experience, and God may provide work to help others learn truth with discouraged workers encouraged to return.

Neglecting gifts wastes opportunities requiring repentance and humble earnest service, all favors come from Jesus alone holding His grace as stewards with even smallest consecrated service wholly acceptable through His merits, talents lent are to be improved to the best of ability with those without faith remaining fragments while those looking to Jesus become model persons, and faithful influence affects those around while all glory belongs to God. Beautifying rough unsightly places is part of the entrusted work. If faithful, all things will become theirs through identification with the Redeemer, advance moves should be made to lift the standard of truth in new places while the way is open, and the work must be done intelligently. Young people may strive to grow and prepare for high responsibility while guided by religious principle, and youth and students must improve talents in reliance on God and build character on Christ as the sure foundation.

Each must respond to light by asking how much can be done for the Master, living usefully and imparting truth. Right use of prosperity requires daily consecration with thanksgiving and growth in faith and love. The trust requires humble patient service, not grasping unbearable responsibilities or seeking status, and service requires complete undivided cooperation and cannot be divided with idols. Talents are to be used in accordance with the Giver's will by letting Jesus into houses and hearts. Every jot of mental and physical power must be put to use by making the most of every opportunity even where livelihood looks uncertain, devising wise plans and daily improving understanding and adaptability, so as to be a success and blessing in home and neighborhood.

Exercising talents in study and in answering opposition makes ministers better qualified, cultivating abilities fully grows mental and spiritual power to plan God's work, and using abilities in practical service teaches lessons that cannot be learned in school. Talents must not be buried but put to use to bear fruit to God's glory by coming out from the world and being separate, doing strict impartial justice, living unselfishly for others good after Christ's pattern, and possessing true godliness in spirit and power, and without perfect fruit the measurement of God is not met. Right use requires keeping mind and body in condition to receive the Holy Spirit and do intelligent holy work by physical self-control, especially in eating, caring for stomach and brain, working, breathing and forming correct habits instead of injuring the body through ignorance, contemplating the Lord's way to meet emergencies, cooperating with God in healing by obedience to His law which is life, and storing heavenly treasure rather than letting thoughts run on frivolous things that block increased light, and inconsiderate waste is robbery toward God and perilous.