Comments on: Success, Failure, and Growth http://blog.theoryspace.com/2009/06/18/success-failure-and-growth/ ~ traversing the many possibilities of life Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:22:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: L http://blog.theoryspace.com/2009/06/18/success-failure-and-growth/comment-page-1/#comment-1092 L Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:50:38 +0000 http://blog.theoryspace.com/?p=1956#comment-1092 Well said. Maybe you can add that to your post. :D As I was also reminded of in the discernment meeting, it's never about what I can do for God (as if I can do anything on my own), but rather, what does God want to do through me. Well said. Maybe you can add that to your post. :D
As I was also reminded of in the discernment meeting, it’s never about what I can do for God (as if I can do anything on my own), but rather, what does God want to do through me.

]]> By: Anson http://blog.theoryspace.com/2009/06/18/success-failure-and-growth/comment-page-1/#comment-1088 Anson Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:36:50 +0000 http://blog.theoryspace.com/?p=1956#comment-1088 Leo, I agree with your observation, but I think there are those who are given 1 talent but obsessively and unrealistically desire 10 talents, and they try to do way more than they are capable of, but end up accomplishing nothing..... I think they are just as wicked and lazy..... in a sense that they are not faithful to the scope and boundaries they are given. Two more questions to reflect on: 1. Of course we do seek and desire the expansion of God's kingdom and the reign of Christ declared over all the earth. But do we seek to grow God's kingdom through our efforts, or is that God's business and we just do what we've been tasked at? I tend to think God's kingdom as a chess game. God is the one who's playing chess. We are just his chess units. If I am a pawn, I do my best being a pawn. If I'm a knight, I do my best as a knight. Each person has his or her own role, and we just have to be faithful in our corresponding roles. As far as how the big picture goes, of course I'd desire progress and growth, but I'll leave that in the hands of the one who has an omniscient view. 2. What's the main point of this parable? Is it about numbers or is it about faithfulness? One may tend to think it's about having a return equal to what is given, that if you are given 5, you better make an additional 5. If you are given 2, you better make 2. But I think the numbers 5 yielding 5, 2 yielding 2, just indicates the potential of return. It's almost like saying yielding 5 is a natural result of being faithful and putting the original 5 talents to work, and not about how hard working the first servant is. As long as you are faithful, you WILL very likely have a return proportional to what you originally have. But I don't think the equality in numbers is the main point. Even if the person who has 5 talents end up making only 2, but if he's faithful in putting the money to work, I think the master will be satisfied. This point is emphasized in the third servant's story. The master said to him he could have simply put the money into the bank and at least come back with some interest. Here it is clear that the master does not expect absolutely a 1:1 return, but simply faithfulness from his servants. So that's why I think it's a good news and liberation to us. The thing God cares is our faithfulness, not the numbers. As long as we are faithful, even making less than ideal is okay. But God also promises us that if we truly put the resources to work, we'll naturally have a return proportional to what has been given. After that, the master will increase the responsibility of the servant to handle bigger things. Now that's what I mean by growth as a given, not something we pursue after. Leo, I agree with your observation, but I think there are those who are given 1 talent but obsessively and unrealistically desire 10 talents, and they try to do way more than they are capable of, but end up accomplishing nothing….. I think they are just as wicked and lazy….. in a sense that they are not faithful to the scope and boundaries they are given.

Two more questions to reflect on:
1. Of course we do seek and desire the expansion of God’s kingdom and the reign of Christ declared over all the earth. But do we seek to grow God’s kingdom through our efforts, or is that God’s business and we just do what we’ve been tasked at? I tend to think God’s kingdom as a chess game. God is the one who’s playing chess. We are just his chess units. If I am a pawn, I do my best being a pawn. If I’m a knight, I do my best as a knight. Each person has his or her own role, and we just have to be faithful in our corresponding roles. As far as how the big picture goes, of course I’d desire progress and growth, but I’ll leave that in the hands of the one who has an omniscient view.

2. What’s the main point of this parable? Is it about numbers or is it about faithfulness? One may tend to think it’s about having a return equal to what is given, that if you are given 5, you better make an additional 5. If you are given 2, you better make 2. But I think the numbers 5 yielding 5, 2 yielding 2, just indicates the potential of return. It’s almost like saying yielding 5 is a natural result of being faithful and putting the original 5 talents to work, and not about how hard working the first servant is. As long as you are faithful, you WILL very likely have a return proportional to what you originally have. But I don’t think the equality in numbers is the main point. Even if the person who has 5 talents end up making only 2, but if he’s faithful in putting the money to work, I think the master will be satisfied. This point is emphasized in the third servant’s story. The master said to him he could have simply put the money into the bank and at least come back with some interest. Here it is clear that the master does not expect absolutely a 1:1 return, but simply faithfulness from his servants.

So that’s why I think it’s a good news and liberation to us. The thing God cares is our faithfulness, not the numbers. As long as we are faithful, even making less than ideal is okay. But God also promises us that if we truly put the resources to work, we’ll naturally have a return proportional to what has been given.

After that, the master will increase the responsibility of the servant to handle bigger things. Now that’s what I mean by growth as a given, not something we pursue after.

]]> By: L http://blog.theoryspace.com/2009/06/18/success-failure-and-growth/comment-page-1/#comment-1087 L Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:03:03 +0000 http://blog.theoryspace.com/?p=1956#comment-1087 I'm not sure if the parable of the talents really goes well with this post: afterall, isn't the servant who didn't work on growing what was given to him (the 1 talent) that was scorned by his master for being "wicked" and "lazy"? I think faith and growth go hands in hands: it was the faithfulness of the first 2 servants (the 5 talents and the 2 talents) which drives them to grow on what was given to them. When one has faith, one would seek to grow His kingdom; when one sees His kingdom grows, one's faith is strengthened. I’m not sure if the parable of the talents really goes well with this post: afterall, isn’t the servant who didn’t work on growing what was given to him (the 1 talent) that was scorned by his master for being “wicked” and “lazy”?
I think faith and growth go hands in hands: it was the faithfulness of the first 2 servants (the 5 talents and the 2 talents) which drives them to grow on what was given to them. When one has faith, one would seek to grow His kingdom; when one sees His kingdom grows, one’s faith is strengthened.

]]> By: alan http://blog.theoryspace.com/2009/06/18/success-failure-and-growth/comment-page-1/#comment-1081 alan Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:02:14 +0000 http://blog.theoryspace.com/?p=1956#comment-1081 Jesus only discipled 12. Jesus only discipled 12.

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