p. 10 | The One-Talented Man

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Jul 20, 1905

The One-Talented Man

BESIDES a knowledge of God, the man with the one talent needs to understand himself—who he is, and what is his destiny. It is clear that the man in the story, besides having a totally wrong conception of his master, had a wrong view of himself. He thought of himself as a slave, or worse, and no one has ever thought of himself as a slave and done good work. It is simply impossible. Do we regard our work on earth as a slave’s work? Do we feel that it is hard to work for God? Do we do our church work, or anything we feel God has laid upon us, altogether from a sense of compulsion? Then we are not free. Our talent will never increase in our hands. At best we can only keep it for a time wrapped up in a napkin, buried. On the other hand, the man who knows himself as a child of God, and not a slave, has not only the blessed sense of freedom, but with it a confidence that makes possible large investments for the kingdom of heaven. He is not afraid to invest, for he knows the returns are sure.—Northwestern Christian Advocate.