Sermonette: Hitting your pitch

So, I was watching baseball the other day and I noticed something. Some guys get good pitches to hit, and some never seem to. An exceptional pitcher will never leave a pitch up where a good hitter can hit it hard. However, even the best pitchers make mistakes and average pitchers often ‘leave pitches up,’ where the observant and patient batter can crush into the stands. What this means, is that no batter can predict when or if he’ll get a single good pitch to hit; and yet, his team is depending upon him to do the best he can. If he gets a good pitch, his team expects him to get a solid hit, maybe even a homerun. But even if he doesn’t get a good pitch to hit, his team is still depending on him to try and muster a least a single or advance the runner. He’s expected to do the best with what he’s given.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story of three men who were loaned five talents, two talents, and one talent by their manager. A long time later, the manager returned and asked for his loan back plus the money they made. The man given five, had earned another five talents. The man given two talents, had also doubled his money. Both of these men were deeply praised by their manager and promised to be trusted with even more. Finally, the last man who had only been trusted with a single talent produced only the original talent- he had buried it for fear of losing it. This man is roundly chastised, his talent is taken from him and to add insult onto injury, it is given to the one who already had 10.

The point I want to draw out it is this: the guy entrusted with five talents was expected to do something with those five talents. Just as the guy only trusted with one measly talent was also expected to do something with what he was given. We don’t pick what talents or abilities we’re given, no more than a batter gets to pick what pitch he’s given in the batter’s box. However, the call is the same: do something. If you’ve been given great opportunities, and/or great abilities and/or greater resources, do great things! But even if you haven’t been given great opportunities, abilities, or resources, you still need to do something. Use what God’s given you, no matter how great or how meager and do what you can. Don’t waste God’s gifts. Turn his little investment into a huge return and earn the response of “well done, good and faithful servant.”