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. Matthew 25:29
Are you a spender or a saver? It is my understanding all of us lean closer to one category or the other. For example, it is quite difficult to be a saver when you consistently spend a significant amount of money. At the same time, it is also challenging to be a spender when you are always saving rather than spending money. While our gut instinct may tell us that being a saver is better, there are pros and cons to both. When we do not save, we are not preparing for and looking forward to the future. At the same time, when we never spend, we hold on to our finances so tightly that we miss opportunities to take hold of the blessings that God has given us and to bless others as well. This idea of spending vs. saving not only applies to finances but the other gifts we have been given, such as our time, talents, and resources.
Matthew 25 features a lesson where one man learned the hard way not to hold on too tightly to his finances and use them well instead. In this chapter, Jesus told a story about three servants who were all given a sum of money by their master before he went on a trip. Two of the servants invested the money well, but the other servant buried the money in the ground and hid it. Our focus today is on the last servant who hid the money he was given. This man was given ample opportunity to do something great with what he was given, yet he squandered it. He literally just took what he was given and hid it away.
When the master returned from his trip, Jesus taught in Matthew 25 that the servant had to give an account for what he had done with the silver he had been given. He explained that he hid the money away because he was afraid he would lose it, and as a result, he left it alone. In other words, he was trying so hard to hold on to what he had been given that he never put it to use. This was his mistake. In response to the servant’s explanation, the master was furious. Here is what he said: “You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it’” (verses 26-27). This servant did not use his money and was chastised for it and faced the consequences of his inaction. To further illustrate his point, the master said, “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” (verse 29). This was a message not only for the servant that day, but it was also a lesson for those listening to this story from Jesus. It is a message for us today as well.
Jesus told this story in Matthew 25 to convey a lesson. God has given all of us gifts, and we must not squander them. We must do something with what we have been given. You have been given gifts and talents from God. May we all take our gifts, put them to use, and exploit them for the glory of God and His kingdom so that one day He will say to us, “Well done.”
Take a few moments and think about the investments that you have made. Take a few minutes to take this Spiritual Gifts Survey. After taking the survey, make a list of the spiritual gifts that God has given you. After listing these things, beside each gift, list out all of the investments you have made with that gift. Be honest as you make your lists, even if your list falls short of what you would like it to look like. Next, make a list of investments you would like to add. What do you hope to do with the gifts God has given you? Write those down too and make a plan to implement steps toward making those investments.
Read Matthew 25:24-30(NLT)
“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 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. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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