IDEA: Life decisions are made up of both abilities and opportunities. TEXT: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them" (Matthew 25:14-30).

PURPOSE: To help listeners think about the relationship between their abilities and their opportunities.

I. The talents in the parable refer to the opportunities that God gives us to use our natural abilities for the sake of Christ.

The talents cannot stand for our natural abilities because they are God’s, not ours (Matthew 25:15).

Looking at the clues in the parable, they seem to stand for the opportunities that God puts into our hands.

II. How does this help us think about our responsibility as Christ’s servants?

God may have given us abilities but not the opportunities.

Some people have opportunities but not the abilities to use them.

Both our abilities and our opportunities come from God’s hand.

God holds us responsible for those opportunities that, with our abilities, we can use for His benefit