Stewards

Scripture:  Matthew 25:14-30   (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant(s) to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver and the two bags of silver came forward and presented their increase. 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant(s). You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:14-20, 23-30 NLT)

There’s no favoritism shown here! The master divided his money “according to their abilities.” Two servants trusted their master’s character, acted in faith, took the investment risk, worked hard, and received the master’s blessing. One servant had a completely different perception of the master’s character, was paralyzed by fear, and didn’t even put the money in the bank! He lost even what he had! Life Lessons: 1) Each of us is entrusted with what we are capable of handling. 2) Our attitude toward the Master affects our “faith or fear” quotient. 3) The issue is not “much or little” but valuing what God has given us and doing what we can do with it in faith.

Prayer:

Father, Please help us to serve you in faith out of love, not in fear! We love you! Amen.