It’s All For Him

Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents)
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. '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. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

God gives us time, gifts, and other resources (according to our abilities), and He expects us to invest them wisely until He returns. He wants us to be responsible and use well what He has given us. The issue this passage is trying to convey is not dealing with how much we have, but rather how well we use what we have.

Jesus is coming back. This means we are to use our time, talents, and treasures diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. For a few people, that may mean changing professions. For most of us, however, it means doing our daily work out of love for God.

If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren’t ours in the first place – we are caretakers, not owners. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are disobeying God and we deserve our consequences.

May we always be good stewards of the gifts the Lord has blessed us with so that on the day of judgment we will find joy in hearing God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

In Christ,
Shannon

“I Exalt Thee” by Chris Quilala/Jesus Culture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-lY8VQpSTY
For those who don’t like slow songs, it picks up at 4 mins :)

Other Bible reference: Luke 19:11-27 (The Parable of the Ten Minas = about 3 months’ wages)

Have a great day!!