I have always known the parable of the talent to be in connection with spiritual gifts or unique endowment given to an individual by God to profit. We were taught that we have a gift which God gave us and He wants us to use this gift to profit His kingdom. Of course, I do not dispute this interpretation but there is another side to this parable which portrays some principles to prosperity. Principles do not respect anyone- if followed, one will get the desired result and if disobeyed one will also get the appropriate result for kicking against it.

What is talent?

I checked the bible dictionary and got to know that talent is not a spiritual gift or a unique endowment. It was defined as ‘a Hebrew weight and denomination for money, equal to 3000 shekels or 93³/₄ pounds of silver and varying in value from $1,550 to $2000. The Attic or Greek talent was worth about $1,200; the Roman great talent, $500; the Roman small talent, $375.’ Therefore, talent is a unit of measurement for weight and a denomination for money- currency.

In this parable, the servants were given talents- five, two and one which means they were given money. The master gave them money which was equivalent to $10,000, $4,000 and $2,000 respectively.

Anchor your belt and let’s explore the principles of prosperity in this parable.

 The First principle of prosperity in the parable of the talents

The master gave the servants different amount of money. Why did he do that? Was it because he loves them differently or because one impressed him while the other did not? It was stated that he gave them these talents according to their abilities. He gave them different amount of money according to what they could handle. This is the first principle- You wouldn’t be given more money than you can handle.

For instance, do you know that nobody will wake up in a day and just give you five million naira just like that? Of course, you can be given some amount of money as a gift but not to such a tone. Some amount of money requires one to be sure of your ability to handle such money. The giver has to be sure of your ability to handle such an amount.

If you want to prosper then you need to develop your abilities and skills to handle, manage and multiply money. If not, money will not come to your custody and if it does, it will not take long to desert you. Money flow to those who have the ability to manage it.

You need to have skills and abilities that will provide value for people in exchange for money.

There are some foundations that function in the manner of the master in this parable. They want to be sure you possess the ability to handle the grant or money that they want to give to you. Of course, such foundations are not founded to waste money so they need you to prove that you have what it takes to manage the resources they want to hand over to you. The money is handed over to you when they are sure of your ability.

The second principle of prosperity in the parable of the talents

The first two servants were said to multiply the money they were given by investing their money. It was said that they did business with the money and got a 100% returns. This is the second principle of prosperity in this parable- multiply your money by investing it- trade or do business with your money. Do not let your money stay idle; engage it.

You need to sharpen your skills in business or investment if you want to multiply money. Let your money work for you by investing it.

The servants doubled their money in business. They did not double it through an illegal means or through gambling. There are different platforms that promise to double money within a short period and many people had lost money in the process. Be wise! Do not engage in such processes that promise fast money. The question you should always ask is what value are you providing for such a promised returns. If there is no value provided in a system for the accumulation of money, then such a system cannot last and will cost people a fortune in the long run. It is just like going out to harvest when you have not planted. If you get a harvest, then it is most likely that you stole another person’s proceeds.

The third principle of prosperity in the parable of the talents

The third servant did not trade with the money he was given instead he hid the money. He, therefore, did not have an increase but has the same amount he was given. Of course, he was not like the prodigal son who squandered his resources but this is not enough for prosperity. If you want to prosper then you must learn to multiply your resources and not to hide it.

This servant had the ability to handle a talent but he refused to cash in more money by engaging his ability. He has the ability to multiply a talent for if he doesn’t, he would not be given the talent in the first place. Don’t make idle your ability or skill- engage it. Provide value through your ability. Don’t stay idle because there is something you can do that will better people’s lives in which they will be ready to give you money in return for such value.

Don’t think of hiding your money at home or in the bank. Those who want to be prosperous financially don’t do that.

Also, it is important you know that money can depreciate. Of course, it can appreciate too. So when you hide your money, it stands a risk of depreciating- the money ‘spoils’. Just as the way a farm product depreciates in value when stored for a long time, money likewise can depreciate in value. If your money depreciates, that means you are at a loss in the long run- it means you lost money. Therefore, think of multiplying your money and not just to hide it.

I will stop at these three principles for now. I will expound on the other principles of prosperity in this parable in my next post. Feel free to get in touch with me. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you can get notifications for my posts. Thanks for your time.