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Matthew 25
The Parable of the Talents v 14- 30
Jesus continues to speak to His disciples:
"Again, (the second coming of Jesus) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five, 'Master,' he said, 'you have entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
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!'
The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
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!'
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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
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? Well 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. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For 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. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing teeth.' "
Jesus told the following parable to further clarify what it means to be ready for His return and how to live until He comes. In this parable, the master divided the money among his servants, according to their abilities (don't forget that important fact). No one received more or less than he could handle. If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. Failure would indicate only laziness or hatred toward the master. The talents represent any kind of resource we are given. God gives us time, gifts, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until he returns. Hey, only 2 days ago have I started to see my blackberry as a true resource. Not for irritating forwards or to have the latest cool gadget or just to communicate with friends or to be available to business 24 hours a day (blackberries & iphones should have a curfew) or to look busy in public when waiting for a friend. But to spread the Word and be there almost instantly when someone is in need. We are all responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have but how well we use what we have. Facebook/Twitter can even be resources, if people would stop using them to self-promote themselves & every detail of their lives and use it for greater purposes.
The man with the one talent was thinking only of himself. He hoped to play it safe and protect himself from his hard master, but he was judged for his self-centeredness. He also didn't know his master at all. We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren't ours in the first place-we are only caretakers, not owners (Whoa! I know that hit someone hard). When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be corrected.
Look, Jesus is coming back- whether you believe it or not. I know it to be true. Does this mean we must quit our jobs in order to serve God? No, it 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, this may mean changing professions. For most of us, it means doing our daily work out of love for God.
This parable should show you the necessity of using well what God has entrusted to us! I know I want to hear, "'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!". Don't you?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH WHAT GOD HAS ENTRUSTED TO YOU?
Are you getting anything from The Good News?
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach the Good News to the poor." Isaiah 61:1
Notes from Life Application Study Bible & NIV Women's Devotional Bible-Classic Edition. Prayer from the Word of God.
www.thegoodnews4yourlife.blogspot.com
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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