What the Parable of the Talents Really Teaches About Success

 “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” 

Matthew 25:29

Dear Friends,

Most people long to succeed in one way or another. We enjoy receiving recognition for our efforts and respect for our accomplishments. Sadly, we often misunderstand what success truly is. We tend to care more about how others perceive us than about how God sees us.

The Real Measure of Success

Yet God has entrusted each of His children with unique abilities and resources designed to further His kingdom. In God’s eyes, success isn’t measured by how much we’ve been given but by how faithfully we use what we have.

When speaking to His disciples about His second coming, Jesus emphasized the need to be ready. But He also made it clear that while they waited, they were expected to invest their gifts in His service.

Competition is Not the Goal

In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus tells of a wealthy man who goes on a journey, entrusting his servants with various amounts of money to manage in his absence. Although the amounts given differed, this wasn’t the focal point of the story. What mattered was what each servant did with what they were given.

In our pursuit of success, we often fall into the trap of comparison. We convince ourselves that others—with more money, better connections, sharper intellect, or stronger personalities—are better equipped to succeed. Sadly, this flawed thinking can creep into our spiritual lives as well.

Some may react by striving harder in their own strength, hoping to outperform others. Others may become discouraged and stop trying altogether. Neither response aligns with God’s design.

In God’s kingdom, competition is not the goal. Our focus should not be on applause from the world, but on pleasing our Savior. Each of us has been gifted with specific resources and talents to serve Him—and this service is most fruitful when done in His strength. Our efforts should be motivated by a desire to honor the Master, not outshine our peers.

The Parable of the Talents

In the Parable of the Talents, the first servant was given five talents and he immediately invested them and doubled the amount. The second, given two talents, also doubled the money. But the third servant who was entrusted with one talent, buried it, wasting the opportunity to grow the investment. His failure wasn’t about how much he received, but about wasting the opportunity he had been given.

As I reflect on my own life, I often wonder what I have to offer. I’m not the smartest or most connected person. I don’t have vast wealth or extraordinary abilities. I’m pretty ordinary.

Maybe you feel the same way. 

But that’s exactly the point. The parable of the talents reminds us that Jesus is returning, and our responsibility is to be faithful with what we’ve been given. That is true success in God’s kingdom, and it’s how we receive the affirmation our hearts long to hear.

Self-Reflection and Reward

So take a moment and reflect: what has God placed in your hands? Use it all—even the seemingly ordinary—for His glory. As Paul encourages us in Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

This is how we honor the Master. And in the end, the greatest reward will be hearing Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Love,

Mama

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