Guest speaker Rev. Jeff Walsh

Introduction

We’re taking a brief break from Proverbs this week due to inclement weather and COVID, but Wisdom for the New Year can be found in many parts of the Bible. In Matthew 25, Jesus shared the Parable of the Talents to remind His disciples what really matters in life.

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away” (vv. 14-15ESV).

Like the master in the parable Jesus has physically left, but He will return one day. We are the servants waiting for our Master to return. How then should we live as we wait? Like sailors on the open ocean we need reliable navigation, so we keep looking up to Jesus for direction. This parable gives us three truths to guide us as faithful stewards.

1) God expects us to use what He’s given to us for His purposes.

“He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money” (vv. 16-18).

The master in the parable gave each servant a sum of money to be used for his benefit while he was gone. Each one chose how he was going to use the money. Two of the servants made a good profit with their funds, while the third opted to bury his so it couldn’t be lost. The master praised the first two servants, but the third servant was told:

“Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest” (v. 27).

The master expected some return on his money, even if it was just minimal interest. So too, God expects some gain from what He has given to us. We not only have money, but we have time, abilities, experience, relationships, and all kinds of other blessings that we can and should be using for God’s glory. These things aren’t simply for our enjoyment and personal benefit. They’re actually our assignment while we are here on earth, to be handed in to our teacher upon His return.

Churches often talk about tithing 10% of our income as being the “biblical” standard. That may or may not be true depending on how you interpret the entirety of Scripture, but national church surveys show that actual giving by Christians averages well below 10%. (Here are some interesting stats.) Even for those who do give 10%, what about the other 90%? How might we use all that we have for God? That brings us to the second point.

2) God is the owner of all our resources.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

This is just one of many verses that remind us that all we have comes from God. In the parable, the master was the one who determined what to give to each servant, and he had every right to demand an accounting for how the funds were used in his absence.

“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (v. 19).

The money he gave them wasn’t just their wages to use as they wished. It was his money to be used for his business. We can tend to forget that even though we work hard to earn a salary, it still belongs to God, because everything on this earth is His. It is only by His grace and provision that “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

One day Christ will return to settle accounts, and He will know not only how we’ve used our money, but also our time, our words, and our abilities. If we remember this truth, it will shape our daily decisions and help us to use all that we have more wisely.  

3) Faithful stewardship does not depend on how much you’ve been given.

“And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (vv. 20-23).

The master was the one who decided how much to give each servant, and it was “according to his ability” (v. 15). His expectation for each one was the same—for them to make some kind of profit. It wasn’t a contest or a reason for comparison with one another. Each servant was given what they could handle well.

Each Christian has unique gifts, abilities, and circumstances. God expects each of us to use what we have for His kingdom. We don’t need to compare, complain, or question what we have or what we think we’re lacking. This is true not just of individuals, but of churches as well. We have what we need to live faithfully.

Having a small amount does not excuse us from faithful stewardship of our money, time, and talents.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10).

Whether we have much or little, we still need to be faithful to use it in ways that will glorify God. We have been greatly blessed in Jesus Christ, and we have the privilege of sharing our blessings with others.

“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (v. 29).

Reflection

1) What things are you consciously using for God each week (tithes, time, talents, etc.)?

2) Are there ways you could do more or give more if you feel God is calling you to do so?

3) How often do you remember to thank God (even publicly) for all that He has given you?