Then the man who had received one bag of gold 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 gold 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.So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:24-30)
Background
Beginning in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus was sitting in the Mount of Olives and his disciples began a discussion focused on when the end times would occur. Over the next 2 chapters this discussion expanded to include Jesus’ views on heaven disqualifications; the importance of being vigilant in anticipation of his return and stewarding our talents. These chapters are hard hitting. Almost scary. This father is prepared to judge. This father values justice. This father is very keen on taking account of whether we are using our talents and resources to expand the kingdom.
It would be good to ensure that our personal theology takes heed of these chapters.
Reflections
We live in an era that competes for our talents. Competes for our time. And it is all too easy to blink…and years have passed and we sit around and say to ourselves “where did the time go?”
Some of us have spent massive amounts of time following sports (me); reading; taking vacations; playing golf; hunting; watching TV; surfing the internet; relaxing at the summer place; riding our boat etc.…and while none of these activities are inherently bad by themselves, it begs an important question. Do we spend more or less time on this stuff or using our talents and resources for kingdom purposes?
This parable convicts me. I have spent seasons of my life focused on some of the items on the above list. Unfortunately my heart was lined up behind the same. It is what I thought about. What I spent my time on. During this time I’m afraid many talents and efforts were often buried. I was distracted.
But there is still time (the master has not returned just yet)…
Lord, you know what has absorbed my thoughts and heart during many seasons of my life. Please forgive me. Help me to focus on the present. And on the future. Not to wallow in the past. Some day I’m going to stand before You. I want You to smile when you see me. And be pleased that I course corrected. That I eventually used my talents for your purposes. And that a meaningful return was provided. Amen.
What if each one of us deliberately took account of our lives and prayerfully became committed for the years that remained to return 10 or 100 times beyond the talents that were provided?
What if... 