The Test of Faithfulness
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 25:20-21 (NKJV) “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
The master in this message must be very gracious towards his servants, treat them well, trust them, and love them enough to entrust them with his goods. However, even when the master loves his servants, has good plans for them, and entrusts them with his goods, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this will be reciprocated with their love, faithfulness, and desire to carry out his instructions. Each servant’s respect and honour for the Lordship will be tested once they have been given the responsibilities of the master’s goods.
Although Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven, He is using this earthly parable to convey the truth of being good stewards. It is the grace of God that He has entrusted us with whatever He has blessed us with on this earth. The first two servants or slaves must have a love for their master and be appreciative of the grace shown to them.
Sadly, many servants act more like the third servant who buried his one talent in the ground because he was unwilling to do what was entrusted to him by the master. He overlooked that he would have no harvest if it were not for the master providing the seed for planting. He failed to see the grace, love, and wonderful plan the master had for him. He was reluctant to do more than the minimum. He never felt responsible or accountable. Similarly, all of us are blessed with resources from God, whether we are believers or otherwise. The issue is whether we recognise God’s grace, love, and plan for our lives by making Jesus the Lord of our lives. We must cease living solely for ourselves. The lesson is: don’t be like the third servant while there is still time to change our ways!
It may be challenging to accept or live this out, but everything we have in life belongs to God—our gifts, time, talents, assets, resources, and money. God has entrusted us to be stewards of what He has given. Therefore, there will be times when the owner calls for what is His to be used. One must demonstrate faithfulness in being a steward of all that God has entrusted to us.
Sermon Series: Giving out of a heart of gratitude
