When the Bible discusses the parable of the talents, it’s easy to initially interpret it in terms of “performance.” Our minds often focus on external achievements, equating success with visible outcomes. However, the Bible is not speaking about performance or mere works when it instructs us on how to live or give. Being a good steward of our talents is not about multiplying deeds but about deepening our conscious connection to God. It’s about the choices that flow from that connection, day by day. A perfect God working through imperfect people by grace—without grace, we would lack even the mental and spiritual faculties to fulfill this purpose.

Consider the story of Rahab. From the standpoint of Christian morality, her actions might seem morally compromised. Rahab, a prostitute by trade, certainly doesn’t fit the typical mold of someone called to carry out divine plans. Furthermore, when confronted, she lies and deceives. If we were to evaluate her actions strictly by conventional standards, we might conclude she failed to invest her talents properly in the spiritual realm.

But this is not the lesson of her story. Rahab exemplifies the stewardship of a conscious connection to God. Despite her past and her imperfections, she acted out of faith, driven by God’s grace, which opened her heart to His reality. Rahab didn’t have a deep theological understanding of the Hebrew God—she simply believed. That belief moved her to action, rooted in her conscious connection to the Living God. This is faith: a firm conviction that God is real and true.

It’s remarkable that God chose to use such an imperfect person in the redemption of His people, even rescuing her soul in the process. This is no coincidence; it illustrates how God works. He calls the broken and the overlooked of the world: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.” (1 Cor 1:27-29). Acts of faith highlight God’s power, not our own.

Rahab may have turned over a new moral leaf after these events, but those moral changes are not the focus of her story in the Bible. In the Hall of Faith, recorded in Hebrews 11, what’s highlighted is her faith and how God used her, despite her flaws. God did not demand that Rahab clean up her life before He could use her. It was all part of His grace, reaching down and opening her heart. Through grace, He planted seeds in Rahab’s heart that blossomed and multiplied, becoming a crucial part of the redemptive story.

In fact, we are spiritual descendants of this faith work. 

Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Christ, making her one of our spiritual matriarchs. So, the next time you feel unworthy or judged by the standards of the world, remember Rahab. And if we ever find ourselves thinking too highly of our polished Christian persona, we would do well to reflect on Rahab’s story. It’s only when God, through the work of Jesus, reveals His complete love and acceptance to our hearts that our faith is truly activated. In that moment, we become good stewards of the most precious truth, a truth that we can carry with confidence to the spiritual bank.

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