#1 of 3 being posted on April 22.  This is for MUFHH devotional for April 20.

I never really thought about the parable of the talents as a way to “falsely accuse God.”  Then I read it again as well as Oswald Chambers commentary on it.  Three things stood out to me (actually more, but I’m keeping it to three).

1. God gives us what we can handle in gifts as well as trials.
2. God expects us to do something with our gifts and our trials–grow them for Him.
3. It is the person who is given the least amount of gifts and trials that is the laziest and most accusatory/unappreciative/faithless toward God–check out the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.
   

   Grow your gifts don’t stow them.

The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, “Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me.”  Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”?  Worrying means exactly what this servant implied–“I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable.”  A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God.  Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.  –Oswald Chambers

This quote and number three intrigued me.  I’d never considered this parable this way.  It’s true–the people who have had the least trials in life have the least appreciation for and faith/trust in God and have the greatest expectations from Him but are never satisfied.  They are also the ones who look at those who have been given gifts they don’t have with jealousy and complaint–“I don’t have any gifts or talents, you’re lucky!”  I never thought to consider the possibly, they wouldn’t use them if they had them, that’s why they didn’t get any.  Those who have the least (remember the context here–the parable of the talents) tend to have the most sense of entitlement and make the most excuses for not doing anything with what they’ve been given.

If you really want more talents, you’ve got to take your “little,” plant it, cultivate it and grow it.  God will do the adding, but be careful what you ask for, remember–For those who have been given much–much is expected.  You can’t be lazy AND have much!