How to Be a Good Steward of Your Talent

While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.  He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ – Luke 19: 11-12

Do you know that everything God has given you has a kingdom purpose? Your talent or gifts, and other kinds of resources have all been given to you to serve a purpose. But for you to be a good steward, you need to know your talent first.

God has given each one of us talents so that we can use them for His glory. We have been given a management responsibility and not an ownership responsibility. The moment you make your talent all about yourself, you move from being a manager to an owner.

But you may be wondering what your talent is. Well, even though it seems hard for you to identify your talent, it is not a mystery. Maybe you have just not zeroed in on your talent, but you will with time.

4 Questions that will help you to discover your Talent:

1.  What do you enjoy doing?

2.  Is there something in your life that leaves you feeling accomplished or at ease when you do it?

3.  What kind of activities do you engage in when you are free?

4.  What things or areas do people acknowledge you for?

It doesn’t matter what kind of talent you have, God will use it for His glory. Whether it’s sewing,  photography, cooking, or teaching, you should use it to glorify the name of the Lord.

Stewardship of Talents

Christian tradition has made most of us believe that only clergymen can serve God. But that is simply not true. Every believer has been called to spread the Gospel of Christ.

But, all of us cannot be clergymen.

God has given us gifts and talents so that we can use them to spread the Gospel. The word of God says in 1 Peter 4:10 that each one of us should use whatever gift we have been given to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace. God will ask you if you used the talent He gave you for His purposes.

The truth is every single person is talented. But only a few people in this world discover their talents, put them to great use and become famous. The rest of us watch these people, we admire and idolize them but don’t do anything about our own talents.  Sad, right? We have settled in our hearts that we are ordinary people, and they are special.  It should not be that way. There is something special about everyone.

The number or kind of talent that you’ve been given should not determine how you use your talent. You need to be faithful with what you have been given. If you don’t, you will be like the servant who was given one talent. God will take away your talent on judgment day and give it to someone faithful with theirs.

Now, not everyone’s talent should be visible. Some of us have been called to use our talents in the background. So do not neglect your talent just because it is something that will not make you a celebrity. Mordecai had to work in the background for Esther. He helped her to see beyond what she could be and could do. But all started in the background. The same is true about some of us.

Benefits of Being a Good Steward of Your Talent

• Your Talent will Elevate You

The Bible says that your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men. If you become faithful with your talent, God will take you to places that you never imagined. Even if you are a star in the background, he will still use you mightily. (Proverbs 18:16)

• You will be Rewarded

God is awesome. He gives us things freely and then blesses us for being faithful.

Like the two servants who were faithful with their talents, you will receive a reward at the end of time for your faithfulness. Your sacrifice is not in vain.

• You will Have a Positive Outlook in Life

People who use their talents faithfully are always joyful. They do not second-guess themselves because they know that they are serving their Creator. God will guide you in all that you do as you walk in obedience and manage your talent well.

How to be a Good Steward of Your Talent

1. Know Who You are and How to Use Your Talent

To be an effective manager of your talent, you need to know who you are in Christ and what you can do best with your talent. Do not copy other people just because your talent is similar to theirs.

Yes, you may have similar talent with your loved one, but it does not mean that you use it the exact same way they do. Ask God the areas that He wants you to use your talent and then follow through.

2. Use Your Talent as Unto God, not Man

Always use your talent to glorify God. If you have a singing talent, do not use it to sing songs that will draw people away from God.  Use it to worship God and draw others close to Him.

Do not brag around about your talent.  Always give God the glory.  If you have a talent but do not know how to use it for God’s glory, ask Him to show you how to go about it. Dedicate your talent to God and not a personal success, and God will make you successful even in your personal life. (Colossians 3:23-24)

3. Invest in Your Gift

For you to be a good steward of the talent God has given you, you need to nurture it. See, when talent is not developed, then someone who works hard in that area will beat your talent. Yes, HARD WORK BEATS TALENT! You need to invest in your talent until you become so good at it.

Even the best athletes in the world spend hours doing practice to nurture their talent. You need to also do the same. Whether you are gifted in financial matters, writing or acting, you need to spend time developing your talent.

Note that there are people with similar gifts who are giving it their best shot, but most of them use their talents for their own glory. You will never hear them giving God the glory for their talent.  You need to be the light in the world. Let your light shine before men through you so that people in the world can glorify God. (Matthew 5:16)

But how do you invest in your gift?

●  Read Books

Buy books with content that addresses your talent so that you can be able to know how to nurture it. Books will help you to figure out the techniques that you need to use to improve performance. They will help you come up with your own formula on how to put your gifts into great use.

●  Attend Seminars

Networking with people who have the same talent will help you know how they use it for God’s glory. You will be able to learn the rules and discover our strengths and weaknesses when you interact with others.

●  Find a Mentor

It is good to learn on your own, but finding someone that will teach you the ropes of success is even better. A good mentor has already gone through the process, they will show you the kind of mistakes to avoid.

A mentor will guide you in the right direction so that you can become the best version of yourself. A good mentor will help you to shorten the learning curve, open your mind to new ideas, and identify opportunities that will help you to become better.

When looking for a mentor, it is good to look for a Christian mentor so that they can be able to advise you accordingly and show you how to steward your talent in a good way. Okay, it is not bad to have a non-believer for a mentor, but how can two walk together except they agree? (Amos 3:3) A good Christian mentor knows that we are stewards of the talents God has given us, not owners. So he or she will not lead you on the wrong path.

4. Be Intentional

To succeed in this life, you need to be intentional about what you do, and that means being intentional about stewarding your talent. Bring glory to God’s name with your talent by being consistent. Do not start and then quit when things become hard or don’t work your way. Give it YOUR ALL as you rest in Jesus for strength and divine wisdom.

When God gives us something, He doesn’t give it to us in a full package. So, just because you are a talented public speaker doesn’t mean that God will take you to large crowds of people the first time you do it. Be intentional about nurturing your talent to the levels that He wants you to be, even if things don’t go as you expect.

Do not let other people tell you what to do with your talent; instead, utilize it wholeheartedly the way God is telling you to do.

5. Guard Your Heart Against Pride

The truth is the more we develop our talent and become successful, the easier it is for us to become prideful. We need to guard our hearts through the word of God and pray so that we do not end up being prideful.

6. Use Your Talent to Help Others

It is good to use your talent in church, but it is better to look for opportunities outside your church so that you can use your talent to serve others. Remember, most of the people you are supposed to preach to are outside the church.

God did not give you talent so that you can use it for your own pleasure. He wants you to use it to help others.

Look, you are benefiting from other people’s talents. You can use your phone because someone decided to share their talent with the world. You sing along to different kinds of music. Some of it has helped you to draw closer to God in your darkest hour because someone was intentional about sharing his or her singing talent with the world.

Use your talent to help other people. (Hebrews 13:16)

Final Thoughts

In this video, Dr Myles Munroe talks about the power of purpose and destiny. Every human was created to live with meaning and purpose. Dr Myles Munroe also asked 5 questions which are the source of human behaviour. They motivate everything you do. Ask yourself those 5 questions and take time to answer and listen to God’s plans for your life. Nobody knows you better than God. He knows you and He knows why you are here on this earth, born for such a time as this.

God has given us gifts and talents so that we can use them for His glory. Your heavenly Father expects you to manage the talents He has given you well.  So be intentional about managing your talent.

A person who uses their talent properly will manage it effectively. We need to use our talents as unto God and not a man because He is the one who has given them to us.

If you do not know your talent, take time, and find out what it is. Asking yourself the right questions and seeking God for guidance will help you get through this process quickly. Guard your heart against pride and be the light of the world with your talent.

Prayer – Be a Good Steward of your Talent

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to thank You for the gift of life. Thank you for everything that You’re doing in my life.  Thank you for the talent that You’ve given to me. You did not give it to me because I am a good person, but because You are an awesome God.

Help me to use it in a way that glorifies Your name. Give me the strength to keep on fighting so that I may not end up being like the man with one talent who did not manage it well. Remove any form of pride in my heart that may hinder me from being a good manager of my talent.

Lord, I pray for people who are struggling to find their talents and gifts. Open their eyes and understanding, that they may see the areas which You’ve called them and the gifts that You’ve given them so that they can manage them for Your own glory.

Protect me from the evil one who comes to distract me so that I may not be a good steward of my talent. Destroy every trap that he has set before me and cover me with your wings so that I can keep on living in a way that pleases You. In Jesus’ name, I believe and pray, Amen.

If you have any questions or some of your keys of how to steward talent, please share with others! Let us advance the Kingdom together!

Shalom and Blessings!

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