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Another thing to consider is that God loved each of the servants equally, in spite of what we might believe from the apparent volume of gifts.
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This is very true. Thanks for the insight. Sometime we have blinders on, and it helps to get another's view. The way he considered his Lord shows a lack of faith
Last edited by Jiveturkey; 05/11/22.
Romans 5:1
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I think it means trying to preserve and multiply whatever blessings you have been given. This could mean being a good steward of money, putting it to a wise use that its multiplied over time, then used to give to worthy charitable causes. this could also mean unique talents that have value to you or others. its a duty to improve, and magnify any and all blessings
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I always got lost at the "You wicked slave" part of this parable. The fury didn't match up with the situation to me. This one is a real loser and I always think if I was preaching that weekend, I'd pick something different to preach on.
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin.'"
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I always saw it as God expects me to produce a margin, a profit of one kind or another, to keep from being a burden elsewhere.
So I saddled my ass up most days on went to work.
.... like tears in the rain
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it?
Last edited by DBT; 05/11/22.
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your claim that "overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty" is quite suspect. Please provide proof data for your claim, and the credible source. Thanks.
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The Master is Christ, the servants or slaves are His people not the lost, talents are various gifts such as spiritual gifts found in 1 Cor 12, Eph 4 and Rom 12, when He returns His servants will give an account of what they have done with their gifts and they will be rewarded according to their faithfulness. This ^^^^^^ is my understanding as well...
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your claim that "overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty" is quite suspect. Please provide proof data for your claim, and the credible source. Thanks. Great wealth and power is in the hands of a relatively small percentage of the worlds population, the super rich, the upper middle class, etc, in a descending order....extreme wealth at the top end of the spectrum, abject poverty at the bottom. ''The World Inequality Report said that 2020 saw the steepest increase in billionaires' wealth on record. Meanwhile, 100 million people sank into extreme poverty, the report from the Paris-based World Inequality Lab said. The richest 10% of the population now takes 52% of global income and the poorest half just 8%, it said. The 228-page report, whose authors are part of a group founded by renowned economist Thomas Piketty, also said that since 1995, billionaires' wealth had risen from 1% to 3%. "This increase was exacerbated during the Covid pandemic. In fact, 2020 marked the steepest increase in global billionaires' share of wealth on record," the report said.'' The poorest half of the global population barely owns any wealth, possessing just 2% of the total The richest 10% of the global population own 76% of all wealth. The researchers found that the world's 52 richest individuals saw the value of their wealth grow by 9.2% per year for the past 25 years, well above less wealthy social groups.'' ''More than a billion people live with less than a dollar per day. 2.8 billion people, that is to say almost half of the global population, live with less than 2 dollars per day. 448 million children are underweight. 876 million adults are illiterate, two thirds of which are women. Every day, 30,000 children under 5 die from avoidable diseases. More than a billion people don’t have access to healthy water. 20% of the global population have 90% of the wealth.''
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''The global number of millionaires reached 56.1 million in 2021.
There are currently 56.08 thousand adult millionaires in the world, with a total net worth of $191.6 trillion. They make for 1.1% of the population.'' (Credit Suisse)
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your claim that "overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty" is quite suspect. Please provide proof data for your claim, and the credible source. Thanks. Great wealth and power is in the hands of a relatively small percentage of the worlds population, the super rich, the upper middle class, etc, in a descending order....extreme wealth at the top end of the spectrum, abject poverty at the bottom. ''The World Inequality Report said that 2020 saw the steepest increase in billionaires' wealth on record. Meanwhile, 100 million people sank into extreme poverty, the report from the Paris-based World Inequality Lab said. The richest 10% of the population now takes 52% of global income and the poorest half just 8%, it said. The 228-page report, whose authors are part of a group founded by renowned economist Thomas Piketty, also said that since 1995, billionaires' wealth had risen from 1% to 3%. "This increase was exacerbated during the Covid pandemic. In fact, 2020 marked the steepest increase in global billionaires' share of wealth on record," the report said.'' The poorest half of the global population barely owns any wealth, possessing just 2% of the total The richest 10% of the global population own 76% of all wealth. The researchers found that the world's 52 richest individuals saw the value of their wealth grow by 9.2% per year for the past 25 years, well above less wealthy social groups.'' ''More than a billion people live with less than a dollar per day. 2.8 billion people, that is to say almost half of the global population, live with less than 2 dollars per day. 448 million children are underweight. 876 million adults are illiterate, two thirds of which are women. Every day, 30,000 children under 5 die from avoidable diseases. More than a billion people don’t have access to healthy water. 20% of the global population have 90% of the wealth.'' Heard something like $35k puts a person in top 1% of the world. It’s crazy how much we expect and how insulated we are. I recall an old Sporting Classivs article on a hunter seeing a kid in SA with an eye infection and knowing the kid would be blind inside a month or something for an ailment we’d kick in days with basic antibiotics. Fear the world will provide a cruel reality on my kids or grandkids.
Last edited by gremcat; 05/11/22.
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your claim that "overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty" is quite suspect. Please provide proof data for your claim, and the credible source. Thanks. Great wealth and power is in the hands of a relatively small percentage of the worlds population, the super rich, the upper middle class, etc, in a descending order....extreme wealth at the top end of the spectrum, abject poverty at the bottom. ''The World Inequality Report said that 2020 saw the steepest increase in billionaires' wealth on record. - - - -'' Your lengthy cut and paste of stats from a bunch of sociology majors was aimed at "inequality" (which always has existed, and always will), but provides not an iota of proof or support for your statement - the focus of this thread is upon those who develop their talents, grow, contribute and succeed.
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The thing is, what you can or can't do is related to you abilities. Some do poorly, constantly making bad decisions, because their abilities are poor. A gifted sprinter can sprint to the best of their ability, while another can barely shuffle their feet....a good businessman may have an innate knack for investments and thrive, while at the bottom of the spectrum, a bad businessman, not through lack of trying, cannot pick a winner, every decision loses money and they go bankrupt.
If one is judged by ability, success or failure, the cards are rigged from the beginning; those 'blessed' with the right stuff are guaranteed entry into paradise. Have you never considered, or witnessed, the plethora of examples where folks - some with limited "abilities or gifts" - have struggled, learned much and worked hard to create wonderful outcomes for themselves and others. Have you never considered the fact that degree of inherent abilities is not the key to this discussion - because having great abilities insures nothing with regard to outcomes. The moral being, it is not what you have or are given - it's a matter of how well you apply what you have. Sure, and for overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty, especially in developing nations where opportunities are limited, too many people, poor education, etc. Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your claim that "overy time that happens there are millions of examples of grinding poverty" is quite suspect. Please provide proof data for your claim, and the credible source. Thanks. Great wealth and power is in the hands of a relatively small percentage of the worlds population, the super rich, the upper middle class, etc, in a descending order....extreme wealth at the top end of the spectrum, abject poverty at the bottom. ''The World Inequality Report said that 2020 saw the steepest increase in billionaires' wealth on record. - - - -'' Your lengthy cut and paste of stats from a bunch of sociology majors was aimed at "inequality" (which always has existed, and always will), but provides not an iota of proof or support for your statement - the focus of this thread is upon those who develop their talents, grow, contribute and succeed. It's a complex issue. You made the claim that some of those born in poverty have made good, which is true. The question is how many, and what percentage? I made a guesstimate. Not many. Very few in that demographic become wealthy. If there is a billion living in abject poverty....what percentage of this demographic become successful business people? If it's a fair percentage that do, poverty would be eliminated within decades. That has not happened. The majority of those born into poverty stay poor. That some make good, of which there are examples, doesn't mean that most or even many in that demographic are likely to become successful. Those that do are the exception, not the rule. That was the point of my remark. Those that do succeed have marketable skills and luck on their side and are in the minority. Some have absolutely no hope. You know that there are gangs still operating in places like Mumbai, Calcutta, etc that abduct and mutilate children in order to increase their earning power as street beggars? Well the children make nothing and have no hope of becoming wealthy, while their handlers thrive. Justice? A fair go for all? Nah, the world doesn't work like that.
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Even in America, for each success story how many do not succeed? A lot of people aspire to be millionaires, but what percentage make it? Your focus shows you've totally missed Jesus' message. You have a pre-Christian, even pagan understanding of God's love and what it means. Look into "victim souls" with the realization that all of us suffer and that you will too, in all likelihood, suffer greatly. Will you be able to pick up your cross? That's not an easy question for any of us. The bad servant was unwilling to pick up his cross, he had no faith. Like DBT, he equated riches with God's love.
Last edited by Tyrone; 05/12/22.
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Your lengthy cut and paste of stats from a bunch of sociology majors was aimed at "inequality" (which always has existed, and always will), but provides not an iota of proof or support for your statement - the focus of this thread is upon those who develop their talents, grow, contribute and succeed. It's a complex issue. You made the claim that some of those born in poverty have made good, which is true. I never made a claim about "born in poverty". I spoke of folks born with limited "abilities and gifts". Please read it again. The question is how many, and what percentage? I made a guesstimate. Not many. Very few in that demographic become wealthy. The topic here is not focused on wealth and I did not address wealth. You brought that in. Due to your lack of focus on the topic, the remainder of your post comes across as inapplicable in a thread dealing with human effort and success/failure. If you must obsess with wealth inequality worldwide, why not stat your own thread on that topic?If there is a billion living in abject poverty....what percentage of this demographic become successful business people? If it's a fair percentage that do, poverty would be eliminated within decades. That has not happened. The majority of those born into poverty stay poor. That some make good, of which there are examples, doesn't mean that most or even many in that demographic are likely to become successful. Those that do are the exception, not the rule. That was the point of my remark. Those that do succeed have marketable skills and luck on their side and are in the minority. Some have absolutely no hope. You know that there are gangs still operating in places like Mumbai, Calcutta, etc that abduct and mutilate children in order to increase their earning power as street beggars? Well the children make nothing and have no hope of becoming wealthy, while their handlers thrive. Justice? A fair go for all? Nah, the world doesn't work like that.
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The Master knows a person's abilities and opportunities, and holds His expectations based solely on the individual's choices and actions.
DBT, you are comparing individual's results to each other.
God will judge individually. For some, the bar is pretty high compared to others. But He has promised that we will not be given more than we can bear.
Why do some have such horrible conditions and challenges placed upon them? I don't fully understand what I perceive with my fallible mind to be unfairness.
I have to trust God has a plan for everyone, and cares even when a sparrow falls.
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James 2:5
Has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith.
The beauty of the Gospel of Christ is it works in every part of the world no matter your finances, or circumstances. Jesus has finished the work. All he requires is faith, and sincere faith produces good works. I've known people who are not religious at all who produce better works than a lot of church goers. Many in the church have no faith. Jesus never promised a life without suffering, nor did he promise riches on this earth. We live for eternity, this life is temporary. I know these threads cause a lot of debate. A man has to make up his own mind.
Romans 5:1
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Look here, a Bible thread 3 pages deep that HC hasn't screwed up yet, what is going on?
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Romans 5:1
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