Christian Living
“Are You Faithful?”
By Teresa Flick
There’s a story in Matthew 25:14-29 that is very interesting. It concerns a story of a wealthy man who was going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest while he was gone. Let’s say this man is Jesus and we are the servants and He is asking us to invest our lives while He is gone.
In this story the man or master gives each servant what is called talents, meaning gold. Jesus gives each of us ‘talents’ also, gift and abilities. The man in our story didn’t distribute these ‘talents’ evenly, but divided them according to each servant’s ability to be trusted with them. Jesus does the same when He calls upon us to invest our lives with the gifts and ‘talents’ He has given us. Can you be trusted?
We see in our story that the servant who was given 5 bags of gold, began immediately to invest it and soon doubled his mater’s gold. The same happened with the servant who had been given 2 bags of gold, but the third servant dug a hole and buried his talents for safe-keeping.
When the master returned from his long journey he called his servants together so that they could give an account of how they had used their talents. The first servant told of how he had invested his gold and doubled it and the master was very pleased. He said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”
The same thing happened with the second servant. Even though he didn’t have as many talents as the first, he invested what he had been given and was faithful to present his master with the fruit of his labor.
The third servant, however, was selfish and suspicious and did nothing with the talents his master had given him. As a result the master had this servant’s talents taken from him and given to the one who had made the most profit for him. Verse 29 in this story tells us: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance.”
It has been my observation that many Christians have not realized that they are one of these 3 servants listed in our story. The depth of their relationship with God determines just which one they are. Maybe they are one of the most devoted servants, entrusted with much, whose desire is to do all they can to please and bless their Master. Maybe they belong in the second category of those who are coming into the knowledge of who they are in Kingdom of Heaven. They are beginning to realize that God has a place and a purpose for them and they want to see it fulfilled through their ‘talents’ and gifts. And then there is the third group of Christians who are afraid to invest their lives for the Master. They don’t really know Him very well, so they don’t trust Him. They aren’t happy with the ‘talents’ He has given them and so they bury their gold, their gifts, hoping when the Master returns He will understand. Verse 29b and 30 tells us what will happen to this third group of servants. “But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into utter darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus gives each one of us gifts and ‘talents’ to invest in His Kingdom until He returns for us. He did not save us to sit in the pews and watch the lost world go by. Nowhere does it say in the Bible, “Now that you have turned your life over to me, you can just sit back and relax. You don’t have to make a difference. You can just be a happy little Christian, doing your religious duty by coming to church on Sunday morning and looking out for your own interests. And by all means you never have to get out of your comfort zone or be inconvenienced”
Friends, Jesus will come to each one of us and he will ask, “What have you done with the ‘talents’ and gifts I have given to you?”
It doesn’t matter how many ‘talents’ He has given you or what they are. What matters is this; have you have been faithful what he has
entrusted to you? Are you making a difference in His Kingdom with those ‘talents’ and gift’ or have you buried them in a hole? If you have buried them, you need to examine your life and relationship with Jesus, for one day you will have to face Him and give an account.
If you hesitate to be inconvenienced for Jesus, remember the cross and how He was inconvenienced for you.
Are you faithful with what the Master has given you?
The rewards are beyond what you can imagine or comprehend.
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Teresa, I was interested to see that you have journaled your thoughts for over 30 years! I am sure there are many thoughts worthy of sharing with your friends at Faith Writers, inside those pages! Hope you will consider it...
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