HCC Weekly - February 23rd, 2026

The Parable of the Talents

Pastor David

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. In the story, three servants are given different amounts of money to take care of while their master goes away on a trip. Two of the servants do well and double what they were given. The third servant, though, is afraid and decides to bury the money so he won’t lose it. When the master returns, he praises the two servants who grew what they were given, but the third servant has the money taken away and given to the others as punishment for doing nothing with the money given to him.

Yesterday, we had our annual variety show. It included our bake auction along with acts and performances from members of our church family. As we’ve been talking about the event, the staff keeps switching between calling it a variety show and a talent show.

Now, I know this might be a bit of a stretch, but the money given to the servants in Matthew 25 was also called a “talent.” So… talent shows and talents (money). I had to make the connection somehow.

The master in Matthew 25 gave the servants something so they could grow it while he was away. In the same way, God has given each of us talents and passions that we have the opportunity to grow by using them for the kingdom of God.

One thing I’ve learned is that if you talk to just about anyone, you’ll find they know a lot about something. It might be video games, raising chickens, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, model airplanes, baking, etc. If you talk long enough, you’ll discover that they’re good at something—because God has given them a talent, a passion, or both for whatever it is they’re good at. That means you, reading this right now, have something God has given you that can be used for His kingdom. And as you read this maybe you have whatever it is that you are passionate about, that you’re good at popping up in the back of your mind.

So here’s the question for today’s devotional:

How can you use what God has given you to benefit His kingdom, so that when He returns, He can say, “Well done” with what he has given you?