My training is rooted in my faith, God gives us the ability to do numerous things throughout our life. In that, he bless’ us with talents. These talents should given up for God and his glory. Matthew 25:14-30 is one of parables that has played a major role and as a corner stone in my training. This is a parable widely talked about, written about, and preached about. John Milton’s Sonnet 19 “When I consider how my light is spent” even alludes to this parable. This parable covers wasted opportunity, a waste of a Godly given gift as well as a fulfillment of this gift. It is truly one for the ages, so let us get excavating. “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property” (Matthew 25:14). In comparison too, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country. This can be indicated right away in the opening statement of the parable, we, as Christians or followers of Christ are the man going on the journey. Within this journey, God is giving us talents or abilities according to his will.
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability…” (Matthew 25:15). This verse states a very important measure of the entire parable. It states each person was predicated upon the ability that they have. As also stated in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 8:18, this is again reaffirmed: “…it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Producing wealth can also be side referenced as wealth or toward the glory to God. So with that being said, God gives us abilities and gives us challenges or responsibilities upon those abilities.
This is also why God is in delight in watching us use the talents and abilities he has given us as Christians. God deliberately gave us different abilities that set us apart for his gratification and glory. God has intentionally made some of his people to be athletically inclined for the purpose of glory.
When I talked to Jim Ryun in 2013 he stated about how God had blessed him with the strength and physical body to exercise every day. God amazes him with God’s love and care “for me, for my family.” Jim really emphasized how he is very grateful Jesus is his Lord and Savior.
In this parable that the five talents and two talent guys go immediately and put their talents to work. They are fruitful into what has been given to them, “The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents” (Matthew25:16-17).
On the contrary, we see the one talent guy is fearful. He fears the master. “But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money” (Matthew 25:18). This is important on the view of the servant to the master, he says “‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you’”(Matthew 25:24-25).
This man has a different relationship with the master. He sees him as hard, the others men say nothing of that. They do not have that image of the master as they go and put those talents to work.
This gives us a glimpse into Gods economy. In our world and society ten is way better the two or four. If you win the race then you are better than the guy on twenty-eighth or even fourth. God says success is determined or predicated onto what has been given or what has been entrusted to us. The reward from God is based on faithfulness, not human or earthly results. Have we been faithful with what has been given? This ultimately implies to what talent has we have been given by God and how will we use it. The rewords of being faithful with what abilities are the same.
For the man who was given two talents and the man given five talents, God says “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).
The Bible teaches us that this responsibility is to work uncompromisingly as the Lord has gifted us and leads us in this life. We must fully understand that we are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest in nothing that does not in some way contribute to the work of the Lord. James tells us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26).
So in the end of the day… this success out of our responsibilities is being faithful. So as we see God gives all of us talents. God gives us these talents because we love it. Our work for the Lord, if it is truly for Him and done in His power, cannot fail to accomplish what He wants accomplished. What good would it be if we had these talents and we hated it? Just as Jim Ryun and Mitchell Manteo are athletes who love running, what good would it be if they hated running. Those two athletes could never use the ability of running to glorify God.
Jim Ryun’s example would be how his faith grew as time went on. At first, Jim didn’t fully see or understand the connection his faith had with his athletic career. high schooler to break the four-minute mile. Jim Ryun competed in three Olympics; Tokyo Olympics in 1964 when he was still a junior in high school; again in Mexico City where he won the Silver Medal in the 1500; and at Munich in 1972. He held both American and World records at distances varying from 880 meters to two miles. One record stood for an incredible 36 years.
One of my favorite stories when the story of Jim Ryun at the Olympic trials, when he was only a junior in high school, he had 100 yards to go. Jim was in fifth and only the top three go on to the Olympics. Now as I quite; Ryun said, “All that work I put in over the summer, and it’s all coming to nothing. I’m not going to qualify, and I’ll be going home.” This is when, according to Jim, God said, “Just relax. Just relax and start sprinting.” Jim Ryun did none the left and he found himself out leaning the competition barely placing in third place. However, he was going to Tokyo!
Now, for Jim’s next Olympic Gems.. The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. This Olympic Games took place at the highest elevation of any Summer Games. Because of this, it caused issues due to the altitude for sea-leveled runners. This tested Jim both mentally, physically, and spiritually. Jim Ryun never backed down running and winning the silver medal.
The point I’m trying to make is that God speaks in different ways, for some it may be in the classroom, on a mission trip, and for others it may be through sports.
Manteo Mitchell was a member of the Men’s 4×400 metres relay (splitting 45.7) at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships… but that’s not where that’s not story ends. This mantra of “Faith, Finish, Focus” is something that allowed him to overcome. He ran the first leg of the heat for the 4×400 relay and revealed afterwards that he broke his left fibula at the 200m mark. Despite this, Manteo finished his lap and clocked a time of 46.1, and his team was able to qualify for the final. Mitchell later earned a silver medal after the American team placed second in the final. Even he stated “I look to God for everything I do.” Manteo Mitchell once told me, I’m 2014, about his ability as something he can do to glorify God: “it’s really what you do to glorify God that really matters. I’ve been called a hero and I’ve been told I am terrible.. all that matters is God.”
In my career I can recall two big times where all could think was “Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God You are higher than any other. Our God is Healer, awesome in power.” This was in 2012 at the OHSAA District Track meet in St Paris, Ohio at Graham High School. I was running the 3200. Earlier that day I had also qualified for Regionals in the 1600. My motivation for the 3200 was decent. I started the race I kind of just tucked back behind that main pack… as we kept going I still felt good so I made my way up to the leaders. Ultimately, I was thinking; “this is my day!” As I passed the number one and two guys on the second to last lap. After doing so, no one really came after me. THIS is the day the Lord has made I was thinking as I whipped it around the last 250 meters to go. Just like that, I was going to Regionals in Troy, Ohio in two events.
Now my second would be at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Joplin, Missouri. This was my first time I made it to the National Championships, it was a goal ever since I was in high school. At the start of the race I was very excited, but also a little nervous. Overall, I never felt discouraged. The only American to ever win the 5000 meters in the Olympic Games (1964 at Tokyo); Bob Schul talks about how this race-day jitter fear can be negative to the body and how he overcame it. Schul says that “I found that fear of competition before the race has an adverse effect on the body. In other words it takes energy away from the body. I learned in my college days to accept the fact that I was going to run only as fast as how I had trained my body and my mind. Therefore it became my duty to train wiser and harder if I was going to beat my competitor the next time we raced.”
For Bob Schul, he would race for his parents. “At times I would race for my parents in that I would think how much they wanted me to win and how could I let them down. So you see, fear can be good and bad. You must find some thought that excites you and use it at the right time.”
For me, it wasn’t just my parents, friends, and coaches; the spiritual aspect of the race was something that excited me. Even when I threw up at mile 4, I was not discouraged. If anything, I was more encouraged. Like the man who put his talents to work and reaped the reward, I ran the race to the best of my ability and ran a new PR. I wasn’t like the man who hid his talents in fear, I was encouraged.
So everyone who says “I’m strong”; “I’ve got this”; “I can do this”; or “finish strong”. Keep doing it! You’re in the right direction. Don’t think about any bad races in the past or runs that were not up to par. In its place, keep an emphasis on the races or your training when you felt your strongest and visualize yourself running better then you did then.
We must know ourselves, know our abilities, and know our talents. And that’s why running is so important to me… it’s not just something I love.. it’s some that holds a deep meaning to me.
Success is great, but what about those moments we fail? Or we lose focus and get unmotivated? Running, racing, and training with patience isn’t always easy. In Hebrews 12:1-2 it’s says; “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The key to patience is faith, however conversely, so is faith as being the key to patience. Patience seems be a willingness to watch and work toward the unfolding mystery of God with a sense of wonder and understanding. This of course is just like training for a sport or an event. We spend hour after hour and week after week to shave anywhere from minutes to milliseconds off our times on the track. As long as we keep running the race with patience and faith, God will see us to the finish line. This is why we use our talents for he glory of God.
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability…” (Matthew 25:15). This verse states a very important measure of the entire parable. It states each person was predicated upon the ability that they have. As also stated in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 8:18, this is again reaffirmed: “…it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Producing wealth can also be side referenced as wealth or toward the glory to God. So with that being said, God gives us abilities and gives us challenges or responsibilities upon those abilities.
This is also why God is in delight in watching us use the talents and abilities he has given us as Christians. God deliberately gave us different abilities that set us apart for his gratification and glory. God has intentionally made some of his people to be athletically inclined for the purpose of glory.
When I talked to Jim Ryun in 2013 he stated about how God had blessed him with the strength and physical body to exercise every day. God amazes him with God’s love and care “for me, for my family.” Jim really emphasized how he is very grateful Jesus is his Lord and Savior.
In this parable that the five talents and two talent guys go immediately and put their talents to work. They are fruitful into what has been given to them, “The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents” (Matthew25:16-17).
On the contrary, we see the one talent guy is fearful. He fears the master. “But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money” (Matthew 25:18). This is important on the view of the servant to the master, he says “‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you’”(Matthew 25:24-25).
This man has a different relationship with the master. He sees him as hard, the others men say nothing of that. They do not have that image of the master as they go and put those talents to work.
This gives us a glimpse into Gods economy. In our world and society ten is way better the two or four. If you win the race then you are better than the guy on twenty-eighth or even fourth. God says success is determined or predicated onto what has been given or what has been entrusted to us. The reward from God is based on faithfulness, not human or earthly results. Have we been faithful with what has been given? This ultimately implies to what talent has we have been given by God and how will we use it. The rewords of being faithful with what abilities are the same.
For the man who was given two talents and the man given five talents, God says “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).
The Bible teaches us that this responsibility is to work uncompromisingly as the Lord has gifted us and leads us in this life. We must fully understand that we are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest in nothing that does not in some way contribute to the work of the Lord. James tells us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26).
So in the end of the day… this success out of our responsibilities is being faithful. So as we see God gives all of us talents. God gives us these talents because we love it. Our work for the Lord, if it is truly for Him and done in His power, cannot fail to accomplish what He wants accomplished. What good would it be if we had these talents and we hated it? Just as Jim Ryun and Mitchell Manteo are athletes who love running, what good would it be if they hated running. Those two athletes could never use the ability of running to glorify God.
Jim Ryun’s example would be how his faith grew as time went on. At first, Jim didn’t fully see or understand the connection his faith had with his athletic career. high schooler to break the four-minute mile. Jim Ryun competed in three Olympics; Tokyo Olympics in 1964 when he was still a junior in high school; again in Mexico City where he won the Silver Medal in the 1500; and at Munich in 1972. He held both American and World records at distances varying from 880 meters to two miles. One record stood for an incredible 36 years.
One of my favorite stories when the story of Jim Ryun at the Olympic trials, when he was only a junior in high school, he had 100 yards to go. Jim was in fifth and only the top three go on to the Olympics. Now as I quite; Ryun said, “All that work I put in over the summer, and it’s all coming to nothing. I’m not going to qualify, and I’ll be going home.” This is when, according to Jim, God said, “Just relax. Just relax and start sprinting.” Jim Ryun did none the left and he found himself out leaning the competition barely placing in third place. However, he was going to Tokyo!
Now, for Jim’s next Olympic Gems.. The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. This Olympic Games took place at the highest elevation of any Summer Games. Because of this, it caused issues due to the altitude for sea-leveled runners. This tested Jim both mentally, physically, and spiritually. Jim Ryun never backed down running and winning the silver medal.
The point I’m trying to make is that God speaks in different ways, for some it may be in the classroom, on a mission trip, and for others it may be through sports.
Manteo Mitchell was a member of the Men’s 4×400 metres relay (splitting 45.7) at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships… but that’s not where that’s not story ends. This mantra of “Faith, Finish, Focus” is something that allowed him to overcome. He ran the first leg of the heat for the 4×400 relay and revealed afterwards that he broke his left fibula at the 200m mark. Despite this, Manteo finished his lap and clocked a time of 46.1, and his team was able to qualify for the final. Mitchell later earned a silver medal after the American team placed second in the final. Even he stated “I look to God for everything I do.” Manteo Mitchell once told me, I’m 2014, about his ability as something he can do to glorify God: “it’s really what you do to glorify God that really matters. I’ve been called a hero and I’ve been told I am terrible.. all that matters is God.”
In my career I can recall two big times where all could think was “Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God You are higher than any other. Our God is Healer, awesome in power.” This was in 2012 at the OHSAA District Track meet in St Paris, Ohio at Graham High School. I was running the 3200. Earlier that day I had also qualified for Regionals in the 1600. My motivation for the 3200 was decent. I started the race I kind of just tucked back behind that main pack… as we kept going I still felt good so I made my way up to the leaders. Ultimately, I was thinking; “this is my day!” As I passed the number one and two guys on the second to last lap. After doing so, no one really came after me. THIS is the day the Lord has made I was thinking as I whipped it around the last 250 meters to go. Just like that, I was going to Regionals in Troy, Ohio in two events.
Now my second would be at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Joplin, Missouri. This was my first time I made it to the National Championships, it was a goal ever since I was in high school. At the start of the race I was very excited, but also a little nervous. Overall, I never felt discouraged. The only American to ever win the 5000 meters in the Olympic Games (1964 at Tokyo); Bob Schul talks about how this race-day jitter fear can be negative to the body and how he overcame it. Schul says that “I found that fear of competition before the race has an adverse effect on the body. In other words it takes energy away from the body. I learned in my college days to accept the fact that I was going to run only as fast as how I had trained my body and my mind. Therefore it became my duty to train wiser and harder if I was going to beat my competitor the next time we raced.”
For Bob Schul, he would race for his parents. “At times I would race for my parents in that I would think how much they wanted me to win and how could I let them down. So you see, fear can be good and bad. You must find some thought that excites you and use it at the right time.”
For me, it wasn’t just my parents, friends, and coaches; the spiritual aspect of the race was something that excited me. Even when I threw up at mile 4, I was not discouraged. If anything, I was more encouraged. Like the man who put his talents to work and reaped the reward, I ran the race to the best of my ability and ran a new PR. I wasn’t like the man who hid his talents in fear, I was encouraged.
So everyone who says “I’m strong”; “I’ve got this”; “I can do this”; or “finish strong”. Keep doing it! You’re in the right direction. Don’t think about any bad races in the past or runs that were not up to par. In its place, keep an emphasis on the races or your training when you felt your strongest and visualize yourself running better then you did then.
We must know ourselves, know our abilities, and know our talents. And that’s why running is so important to me… it’s not just something I love.. it’s some that holds a deep meaning to me.
Success is great, but what about those moments we fail? Or we lose focus and get unmotivated? Running, racing, and training with patience isn’t always easy. In Hebrews 12:1-2 it’s says; “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The key to patience is faith, however conversely, so is faith as being the key to patience. Patience seems be a willingness to watch and work toward the unfolding mystery of God with a sense of wonder and understanding. This of course is just like training for a sport or an event. We spend hour after hour and week after week to shave anywhere from minutes to milliseconds off our times on the track. As long as we keep running the race with patience and faith, God will see us to the finish line. This is why we use our talents for he glory of God.