A sermon on the parable of the talents argues that Christians often overthink God's call and end up paralyzed or distracted. The third servant's fear turned to laziness and brought punishment. God expects you to use your gifts now, not wait for perfect clarity.
Most Christians overthink the call of God. Now, we ought to reverence God's commands and be intentional about fulfilling our divine assignments, but many believers are either so afraid of missing God that they opt to do nothing, or are so busy that they can't be effective in any one area. So let's simplify this. In the parable of the talents, 3 men were each given a measure of resources for which they would care. The master who gave them these resources didn't give them specific instructions, but he did expect them to do something. The first 2 servants invested their resources and ultimately produced more. The 3rd servant was so afraid that he buried what he had been given. He was punished for what his master called laziness. Think about that. His fear ultimately became laziness. Though the parable has an overall prophetic theme, the spiritual principle it reveals can be applied to everyday living. Stewardship. Do something with what God gave to you. So what are you called to do? Simply put, you're called to do something. That is, to use your specific gifts to fulfill God's general will. As believers, among many things, we're all called to live holy, evangelize boldly, pray sincerely, love selflessly, give generously, and obey God unconditionally. So use what he deposited in you to obey God's general commands and expand his kingdom. That's it. Find something to do for God and then do it. If you're afraid of missing God, just learn to trust his voice. He'll bring correction if necessary. Stop waiting. Go.
