As I prepared to write this post I happened to be reading in Luke 19:11-27 where we find the parable of the minas. Every time I read this parable or the parable of the talents, I wonder, "How am I doing? Have I multiplied what God has given me or buried it?" Even worse, "Have I squandered what God has given me?"
When we come to God for worship are we bringing Him our one buried mina that we dug up that morning or are we bringing Him the five or ten minas that we built up through careful investment? David once said,
I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.
Do your gifts of worship cost you nothing?
Here are somes ways to multiply your gift from God so that you can bring that multiplied gift back to Him in worship.
- Know Your Mina. The parable begins with the Master handing out minas to his servant. Stop and consider, what is your mina? What gift has God given you that He expects you to multiply and bring back to Him? God has gifted everyone of His servants. What are yours? (One side warning. Make sure you actually are gifted in this area. Seek outside, expert council before expending too much energy in one area. As a worship leader I can tell you many stories of people who thought they were gifted as a singer, but were not.)
- Put Your Mina to Work. The master then commands them to "put this money to work until I come back" (NIV). One of the best ways to multiply your gift is to use it. Are you using your mina for God?
- Ignore the World. In verse 14 we are told that his subjects hated him and did not want him to be their king. If you are going to multiply your mina you must ignore the world's messages. The world tells you there are so many other things more important than multiplying your mina. It tells you not to let God have reign in your life. Until you ignore the world, you will have a hard time doing the next step.
- Work on Your Mina. Implicit in the story is the fact that some of the servants took the mina given to them and worked hard to multiply it. I know some of you don't want to hear this, but it takes hard work to multiply your mina. It may take study, time investment, financial investment and mentoring to multiply what God has given you.
- Ignore Your Fears. In verse 21 the "wicked servant", as he is called by the master, says that he was afraid. Fear of failing the master kept him from trying to multiply his mina. Of what are you afraid? Fear will keep you from trying and guarantee failure. Trust in God. He will guide you as you work to multiply your mina.
- Bring the Gift to God. Finally, we need to bring our gifts back to God. It is of no use to multiply the gift and then use it for yourself. God did not gift you so you can squander it on your own pleasures. He gifted you to glorify Him and expand His kingdom.
Dig up that mina you have buried and make the choice today to multiply it and bring it back to God as a gift to Him.
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory
