But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 1 Corinthians 7:7.

God gives more than money to His stewards. Your talent of imparting is a gift. What are you communicating of the gifts of God, in your words, in your tender sympathy? … The knowledge of truth is a talent. There are many souls in darkness that might be enlightened by true, faithful words from you. There are hearts that are hungering for sympathy, perishing away from God. Your sympathy may help them. The Lord has need of your words, dictated by His Holy Spirit….

The first work for all Christians to do is to search the Scriptures with most earnest prayer, that they may have that faith that works by love and purifies the soul from every thread of selfishness. If the truth is received into the heart, it works like good leaven, until every power is brought into subjection to the will of God. Then you can no more help shining than can the sun….

All natural gifts are to be sanctified as precious endowments. They are to be consecrated to God, that they may minister for the Master. All social advantages are talents. They are not to be devoted to self-pleasing, amusement, or self-gratification…. The gift of correct example is a great thing. But many gather about the soul an atmosphere that is malarious….

The gifts of speech, of knowledge, of sympathy and love, communicate a knowledge of Christ. All these gifts are to be converted to God. The Lord stands in need of them, He calls for them. All are to act a part in preparing their own souls and the souls of others to rededicate their talents to God. Every soul, every gift, is to be laid under contribution to God. All are to cooperate with God in the work of saving souls. The talents you possess are given you of God to make you efficient colaborers with Christ. There are hearts hungering for sympathy, perishing for the help and assistance God has given you to give to them.^{22The Review and Herald Supplement, June 21, 1898.}

From That I May Know Him

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Matthew 25:29.

If talents are well improved, increased talents are the result. “Unto every one that hath shall be given.” … If Heaven’s bestowed gifts are not appreciated and improved as God’s intrusted capital—if they are buried in worldliness, in selfishness—these powers capable of blessing humanity decrease, and because the God of heaven is not sought after and glorified as the source of all these precious endowments, He is dishonored, and He cuts off the supply. In order to increase, to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we must put to use by human effort our physical and intellectual powers.^{20The Review and Herald, April 12, 1887.}

Those who hoard up their talents to rust, unemployed, unimproved, must not think that such action in any way relieves them from responsibility, for God holds us responsible for the good we might do if we took up the yoke with Christ, lifting His burdens, learning more of His meekness and lowliness of heart day by day. The interest continues to accumulate on buried talents, and instead of decreasing our responsibility the burying of our talent only increases and intensifies it.

Let the human agent consider the solemn fact that the day of reckoning is just before us, and that we are daily deciding what our eternal destiny shall be. The Master examines every individual case, dealing personally with the talents entrusted by Him. O solemn day of reckoning; that day which will bring paleness to many faces; that day in which the words shall be spoken to many, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting”! It will be an awful thing to be found “wanting” when the book of accounts is opened in that great day…. Upon the decisions reached in that day depends the future, eternal interest of every soul. We shall have unspeakable joy, or unutterable woe and misery…. O how Jesus will love to recompense every true worker! Every faithfully performed duty will receive His blessing. It is then that He pronounces the benediction, “Well done.” ^{21Manuscript 13, 1895.}

From That I May Know Him

His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:23.

Said Christ, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). In the little matters some do not think it necessary to be so very exact, but this is the deception of Satan.

Selfishness is at the root of all unfairness and all lack of fidelity…. There is with many of the youth who profess to believe the truth a vanity, pride, profligacy, and carelessness that are making them reckless and disqualifying them for a noble and elevated life here, and unfitting them for the future life hereafter…. There is not with all a careful improvement of the time for which they are paid. Those who fritter away their time or fail to put it to the best use are robbing God. Some … have a very favorable opinion of those who are careless, reckless of money and reckless of time, but God regards all these things in their true character—frauds which He will avenge.

Time, talents, and skill are to be brought into use and put to the very best account…. Let every one be true to principle, as if the eye of the Infinite was upon him. You may, young men and women, make of yourselves what you will, by the grace of God combined with earnest efforts and determined will to resist inclination to indulgence….

Christ gave to man a perfect example, but those who move out on what they call a liberal plan, and become careless in the little matters, will soon show a wide deviation from Christ’s example, the only true pattern. Young men and women, will you study more closely and prayerfully the life of Christ, and make that life your criterion, your standard? ^{18Manuscript 6, 1878.}

Practical religion must be carried into the lowly duties of daily life. And in the performance of these duties you are forming characters that will stand the test of the judgment. Then, in whatever position you may be placed, whatever your duties may be, do them nobly and faithfully, realizing that all heaven is beholding your work.^{19The Youth’s Instructor, January 28, 1897.}

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And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Matthew 25:15.

The parable of the talents … has a personal and individual application to every man, woman, and child possessed of the powers of reason. Your obligation and responsibility are in proportion to the talents God has bestowed upon you….

When the master of the house called his servants, he gave to every man his work. The whole family of God are included in the responsibility of using their Lord’s goods. Every individual, from the lowliest and most obscure to the greatest and most exalted, is a moral agent endowed with abilities for which he is accountable to God…. The spiritual, mental, and physical ability, the influence, station, possessions, affections, sympathies, all are precious talents to be used in the cause of the Master….

Let the businessman do his business in a way that will glorify his Master because of his fidelity. Let him carry his religion into everything that is done, and reveal to men the Spirit of Christ. Let the mechanic be a diligent and faithful representative of Him who toiled in the lowly walks of life in the cities of Judea. Let every one who names the name of Christ so work, that man by seeing his good works may be led to glorify his Creator and Redeemer….

Those who have been blessed with superior talents should not depreciate the value of the services of those who are less gifted than themselves. The smallest trust is a trust from God. The one talent, through diligent use with the blessing of God, will be doubled, and the two used in the service of Christ will be increased to four; and thus the humblest instrument may grow in power and usefulness. The earnest purpose, the self-denying efforts, are all seen, appreciated, and accepted by the God of heaven…. God alone can estimate the worth of their service and see the far-reaching influence of him who works for the glory of his Maker.^{17The Review and Herald, May 1, 1888.}

From That I May Know Him

For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Mark 13:34.

When God commanded the tabernacle to be built in the wilderness, each man’s work was assigned him…. In setting up and taking down the tabernacle, in moving from place to place in the wilderness, the position each was to occupy was plainly specified.

Christ was the invisible General of that company of more than a million people, and there were no haphazard, disorderly movements made. Order, dispatch, and exactitude were required of each one at the post of duty assigned him. This is an important lesson to the church and to every man whom God has chosen to act a part in His great work. No one is required to do another’s work. Each is to do the work assigned him with exactness and integrity. The management of that great church in their journeyings in the wilderness symbolizes the management of the church till the close of earth’s history, till we come into possession of the heavenly Canaan….

The Lord has need of all kinds of skillful workmen. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11, 12)…. Each worker in every branch of work in the Lord’s vineyard must have a head and a heart sanctified through the truth to enable him to see not merely the part of the work which is under his supervision, but its relation to the great whole. When the workers are consecrated to God they will reveal the love of God for their brethren who work under the unseen, divine Master Worker. “We are labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9)….

We are all part of the great web of humanity, thread packed against thread to bring out the pattern of the fabric and make it a complete whole…. Be God’s thread to work out His design. You can never handle yourself.^{16Letter 86a, 1893.}

From That I May Know Him