Part 8 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ (Matthew 25:25 NKJ)
Fear Is Unprofitable
And I was afraid … The unprofitable servant was at the mercy of his emotions. He let his fear stifle his money-making activities. Developing a relationship with the Master can help overcome these fears (the other two servants apparently were not afraid).
Remember whose talent we are talking about in the first place. The Master entrusted property (talents) to His servants for investment returns. By sitting on the Master’s talent, Servant #3 was essentially stealing from his Master in addition to depriving himself from those proceeds.
So, does investing the Master’s proceeds guarantee success? Hmm, well I don’t know but:
- Developing and maintaining a relationship with One who reaps where he doesn’t sow can’t hurt!
- Not investing is a guarantee of failure.
- It would be better to face the Master and say “I tried but …” than to do nothing and incur the Master’s wrath.
If we are to be successful in Kingdom finances specifically and life in general, we can not let our fear stand in our way. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear can nullify the faith we have. Without Faith it is impossible to please God. He has given us Kingdom citizenship to richly bless us.
What are you afraid of?
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]]>Part 7 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. (Matthew 25:24 KJV)
Forget the Money, Show me the Relationship
This third servant had a considerably worse performance review than his two co-workers. Their efforts brought forth handsome returns. Upon reading the text, you get the sense that they were eager to show the Master the fruit of their labor.
Such was definitely not the case with the third servant. “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man …” indicates that the
depth of relationship that was present with the other laborers was absent with Number Three. His very words describe a successful Master who was generous to the point of allowing His servants to invest assets on His behalf (…I … hid your talent in the ground.).
If Servant Number Three had cultivated a relationship with his Master, His investment know-how would have rubbed off on him. This, no doubt, was the secret to the other servants’ investment accomplishments. It’s about enjoying relationship with the Master. This is the true key to success.
Can You Relate?
If you — or anyone — desire success in this world, you will have to nurture relationships with other inhabitants of this planet. The Lord has set it up so that you can not make it on your own. Making money, for example, involves the exchange of goods and services between people and/or institutions (groups of people). You may be really good at setting up barriers between you and everyone else but by doing so you are building walls that hinder you from the fulfillment that your spirit craves. The Lord has set the solitary in families (Psalm 68:6). There are probably people around you that can help you (and vice versa). Make the effort to develop relationships with others. Be friendly! (Proverbs 18:24)
It has been said that those involved in friendships tend to be healthier. I think we can make the case that friendships also help us become wealthier. When you come right down to it, regardless of the size of your bank account, our friends enrich us.
How are you getting along with the Master and His servants?
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]]>Part 6 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
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!’ (Matthew 25:20-23 NIV).
There will come a day when the Master will return! What will we have to show for it when he does? One metric that will be used to evaluate our service to Him is our handling of His tangible blessings to us. Note that the Master commends his servants as “good and faithful”. Their fidelity in their stewardship led to their successful results.
Also notice that the Master is not concerned with the total value of wealth per steward. He commended the two stewards enjoying the same rate of (positive) return equally. The parable acknowledges that we all start out at different levels but it is what you do with what you are given that counts. “He who dies with the most toys wins” is not a Divine benchmark.
The biblical scenario is a great illustration of our Master’s generosity. Not only does he give us the means to succeed but he wants us to share in His happiness. It’s not just about financial success. He wants us truly and completely blessed. What an awesome God we serve!
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]]>Part 5 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. (Matthew 25:19 KJV)
However, as we anticipate his return, we can take steps to prepare for this review. God does not play favorites: He will use the same criteria as the Lord of the Servants in this parable. There will be a test but our Lord has shown us how to pass the Ultimate Test with flying colors. All of the answers are in the Bible. You can also talk (pray) to the Author for personalized advice.
Are you ready for that day when YOUR books will be examined?
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]]>Part 4 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money . (Matthew 25:18, NIV)
Here we have a very different story. This servant wasted his Master’s talent and rendered it useless. He literally killed it by burying it.
Are you any different? Have you squandered an opportunity to make your money work for you? In addition to forsaking the returns enjoyed by the more diligent servants, you have hidden from others a chance to glorify our Lord. This could have been a demonstration of “magnifying the Lord.” By regularly partnering with God, His work becomes evident to yourself as well as others in ever-increasing measures.
We in the Body of Christ need to exercise and demonstrate God’s influence in our lives. We need to be fruitful in our finances as well as in every other aspect of our lifestyle. As John the Baptist said of Jesus: ‘He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Have we hidden Him or are we hidden in Him?
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]]>Part 3 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he gained five talents more. 17And likewise he who had received the two talents–he also gained two talents more. (Matthew 25: 16-17, Amp.)
Here we see the response of two of those servants in which the Master entrusted his property. They immediately 
went and “traded.” The word “traded” come from the Greek word ergazomai. In this context, these servants “put this money to work.” Perhaps they invested it in the first century equivalent of the stock market. We can’t say for sure. Regardless, they invested these funds in a vehicle that resulted in a 100% return on the Master’s money. Not bad.
These servants already had their basic needs met by virtue of their relationship with the Master. They had food, clothing, and shelter as members of His household. This money apparently was not for these basic needs. Although the money belongs to the Master, He is giving His servants a great deal of freedom regarding its disposition.
What are we doing with our money once our basic needs are met? What avenues of increase are available to us? Are we taking advantage of them?
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]]>Part 2 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one–to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed and left the country. [Emphasis mine] (Matthew 25:15 Amp.)
Get Smart, Get Wealthier
As we read this opening portion of the parable of the talents, it is noteworthy to observe that talents are distributed according to personal ability. Jesus is stating through this principle that in order to get more money, you should sharpen your skills.
This parable is about money. The term “talent” in this context refers to a monetary measure that corresponded to a certain weight of gold or silver. Over a period of time, this term was transformed into the use that we know it today (see definition) as it relates to creative ability.
This verse is also about personal development. As believers, we should always be in a state of self-improvement. In a sense, it is not totally self-improvement as we are working in partnership with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the “master” in this parable and he should be the master in every aspect of our lives. Jesus is telling us that that are practical and tangible benefits to improving our abilities. This is part of our transformation from “Glory to Glory.”
So, allow this verse to motivate you as take that college course, read that book, practice that ability or engage in some other activity that will improve your abilities. There is a reward awaiting you. In fact, there are (at least) two rewards ahead: 1) The increase in talents (double-meaning here) and 2) the satisfaction that comes with that increase in expertise — and who can put a price tag on that!
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]]>Part 1 of the “Parable of the Talents” Series
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. (Matthew 25:14, NIV)
Talented Teaching
This is the first examination in what is commonly called the “parable of the talents.” In this instructive story, Jesus tells a great deal about stewardship and money management. This introductory sentence actually has a lot to say in very few words (typical of Jesus):
- The man “going on a journey” is Jesus. The implication is that he is coming back.
- As born-again believers, we are His servants. We are part of his household.
- Our property really belongs to God and he trusts us with it!
Our “job” is to utilize the Lord’s possessions entrusted in our care in such a way that His purposes will be furthered. We are working in partnership with the Lord in temporal, tangible aspects as well as the eternal, spiritual realm.
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