The One Talent by C. Lawton

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 23, 1872

The One Talent.

By C. Lawton

If God had not required the improvement of the one talent as much as five, he would not, of course, have given it; and there is no ordinary mind that is not capable of improving on the one talent, and should be willing to do so. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

God in his wisdom has given each of us just the gift or gifts that he saw was best for us; but did he give them to lie dormant? Certainly not; for how should we know that we had any gifts if we did not exercise them? And for what were they given, but to glorify God, and make us useful in the world? While some who have great capacities and have not had advantages, or improved upon them as they should, have become comparatively useless, others with small capacities, by improving them, have become very useful. Some may think because they cannot explore all the fields of knowledge, and come up to the greatest minds, they will be nothing. But such aspirations may not be pleasing to God. Let us not despise the day of small things, but be willing to labor on in our humble sphere, doing what we can, although at times we may feel almost crushed under a sense of the feeble efforts we put forth to help forward the cause of God, and regret that we have not made a more wise improvement of the advantages of our past lives in fitting up for usefulness. But these regrets avail us nothing now. The spirit that the wicked servant manifested to his Lord showed that he would not have made good use of the five talents, had they been committed to his care. He that is faithful in least, will be faithful in much, and he that is unjust in least, will be unjust in much. Let us be faithful with the one talent, that it may be said unto us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

C. LAWTON.