In the parable of the talents, Jesus tells the story of a master who distributed talents—a word for weight and a unit of measurement used for gold, silver, and other precious metals. This unit wasn’t used for measuring flakes of gold; it was used to weigh significant sums of money. Pounds of money. The master gave three of his servants varying amounts of money, or treasure, based on their abilities: five talents to one, two to another, and one to the last. Upon his return, the servants who received five and two talents had invested and doubled their master’s money. The master commended them, saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in the joy of your master.’ While they had received different sums based on their abilities, both had faithfully stewarded their master’s treasure and were equally rewarded. Conversely, the servant given one talent, fearful of losing it, buried it. He returned only the original talent to the master, who rebuked him, “You wicked, lazy servant! … Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness” and instructed that his talent be given to the one who had ten.
While this parable uses money as the illustration, it’s interpreted as all that God has entrusted us with – our skills, opportunities, time, resources and treasure. What is THE treasure? Well, God cares most about our hearts. That is His greatest treasure. So while we can talk about stewarding and multiplying the other things, I want to make this connection: God has entrusted you with the hearts of others. If you are married, you’ve made a covenant agreement with God that you will love, honor and cherish your wife. God has entrusted you with His daughter’s heart. Same goes for your children. God is trusting you with their hearts. Are you being a good steward with those hearts? Because their hearts are His treasure.
How do you multiply this treasure? The key is giving. Think of it this way: Our capacity to give is limited only by our willingness to receive. It forms a continuous cycle. When you are willing to receive from the Lord—strength, hope, forgiveness, identity, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, grace, mercy, and so forth—for yourself, you can then give what you’ve received away. You can speak life into others. You can forgive others, you can offer strength and hope to others. As you give these away, God gives you more, expanding your capacity. By giving what you’ve received to your wife, children, and those in your circle, you not only increase their capacity to receive but also to give. This cascade originates directly from the Source, and it flows because you were willing to receive and give. By doing this, you’re stewarding and multiplying the treasure God has entrusted to you, filling their hearts with the Lord’s goodness.
So, how are you doing with the hearts God has entrusted you with?