Use It or Lose It
Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
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."
Observations:
Here Jesus tells a story to illustrate a very important truth about what God expects from those whom He has entrusted with His resources for the sake of His Kingdom. Though the only instruction given to the servants was to "invest" the treasures they had received, no explicit standard was stated. However, the story comes home in the final analysis made in vs. 29 which makes it clear that God expects his people to maximize their investments in His Kingdom by managing their resources and abilities well. The only criticism came as a result of the the failure of the one who decided not to invest what He had been given but rather chose simply to do nothing and then make excuses for it. Needless to say the story did not end well for Him as he was condemned for his negligence with "weeping and gnashing of teeth".
Application:
Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." All of us have a part to play in God's Kingdom whether big or small. The good news is that we will only be judged according to our God-given abilities and resources and rewarded accordingly by God Himself. The bad news is only bad if you happen to be the guy who, for whatever reason, didn't think investing in God's Kingdom is worth consistently giving your time, talents, or resources to. The fact is all of those resources will one day either make us or break us as our entire lives are examined by Christ Himself and measured against not only what we accomplished in His name but what we could have done with what He gave us. Today He gives us that choice to invest our unique gifts, abilities, time, and resources to further His Kingdom or to hijack them or our own purposes. Either way all of us will one day answer the question, "What did you do with what I gave you?" So what are you doing?
Prayer:
Father, help us to see ourselves as your servants and as stewards rather than individuals accumulating our own fortunes. Help us to "give as freely as we have received" from you so that Your Kingdom will be established in the world around us as it is in heaven today. Make us selfless givers of our temporary goods to build your everlasting Kingdom.
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."
Observations:
Here Jesus tells a story to illustrate a very important truth about what God expects from those whom He has entrusted with His resources for the sake of His Kingdom. Though the only instruction given to the servants was to "invest" the treasures they had received, no explicit standard was stated. However, the story comes home in the final analysis made in vs. 29 which makes it clear that God expects his people to maximize their investments in His Kingdom by managing their resources and abilities well. The only criticism came as a result of the the failure of the one who decided not to invest what He had been given but rather chose simply to do nothing and then make excuses for it. Needless to say the story did not end well for Him as he was condemned for his negligence with "weeping and gnashing of teeth".
Application:
Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." All of us have a part to play in God's Kingdom whether big or small. The good news is that we will only be judged according to our God-given abilities and resources and rewarded accordingly by God Himself. The bad news is only bad if you happen to be the guy who, for whatever reason, didn't think investing in God's Kingdom is worth consistently giving your time, talents, or resources to. The fact is all of those resources will one day either make us or break us as our entire lives are examined by Christ Himself and measured against not only what we accomplished in His name but what we could have done with what He gave us. Today He gives us that choice to invest our unique gifts, abilities, time, and resources to further His Kingdom or to hijack them or our own purposes. Either way all of us will one day answer the question, "What did you do with what I gave you?" So what are you doing?
Prayer:
Father, help us to see ourselves as your servants and as stewards rather than individuals accumulating our own fortunes. Help us to "give as freely as we have received" from you so that Your Kingdom will be established in the world around us as it is in heaven today. Make us selfless givers of our temporary goods to build your everlasting Kingdom.
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