Ronald Read wore the same jacket for years. It was held together with safety pins. Neighbors wondered if he would freeze in his scruffy baseball cap and old flannel shirt. One neighbor even knitted him a warm winter hat. After all, Mr. Read lived in Vermont! Brr!

But it turns out Mr. Read could have bought himself as many winter hats as he wanted. When he died at age 92, he left $8 million behind! He donated $6 million to his hometown library and hospital.

Mr. Read never had a high-paying job. For many years, he worked as an auto mechanic. Then he worked as a janitor at a department store. So where did his money come from?

Mr. Read was very frugal. He heated his house with a wood stove. He used wood that he found and chopped himself. When he visited his lawyer, he would park in a free spot far away. He didn’t want to waste any coins on the parking meter.

He also made his money grow. He invested in promising companies—and he was good at it! Mr. Read used his investments to serve others. He spent his life scrimping and saving so that he could generously give to others after his death.

His story reminds us of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. In the parable, two servants invested talents, a kind of money that their master gave them. Their investments made more money. The third servant selfishly buried his talent. God was pleased with the two servants who used their talents. He was disappointed in the servant who did not.

Is your talent playing the piano? Is it mathematics, or making money like Mr. Read? How can you use your gifts to serve God?