I’m posting about the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30. We just looked at the unfaithful servant who hid his money in the ground, then gave it back to the Master upon his return. Some believers are like this servant.
There are Christians whose attitude suggests to me that they’re actually annoyed by the presence of God in their lives. They see the Lord who died for them as a hard man to work for.
It’s as if they’re saying, “What has He ever done for me?” So they give the Lord their leftovers. They’ll only work for Him if it’s convenient.
We need to realize that saint and sinner alike will all give an account before the Lord someday. The Scripture is clear on that. What are you going to answer on that day when you go before the Lord and He says, “Here’s what I’ve given you. I shed My blood for you. I took the crown of thorns on My brow for you. I took the stripes on My back for you. This is what I invested in you. What did you do with it?”
Don’t expect to receive a reward when your response is, “I tried to ignore You the best I could.” That’s not going to earn you any points.
Fortunately, this parable has two endings. In the book of Matthew, the servant was thrown out into darkness. This servant was obviously lost because he ignored what God did for him.
But if you read this same account in Luke, it ends differently. This probably means that it was one of the parables that Jesus had the disciples memorize.
This was a common practice among the rabbis of that day. Teachers would have their disciples repeat the same story over and over again until they could say it word for word. This is why the disciples could write exactly what Jesus said. The fact that they recorded this story with two different endings probably means that Jesus taught it to them with two different endings.
Luke records, in Luke chapter 19, that the lazy servant wasn’t cast out into darkness, he only lost his money. I believe this corresponds to those who are saved, yet ignore the plan of God for their lives. Paul had something to say about the Lord inspecting our work someday. It sounds a lot like what Jesus said.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 3:10-11
We’ve been given the best foundation. But we’re expected to build our ministry upon it. We must allow growth to come into our life. We must add the Word of God. Then comes obedience to the Word. This must happen if we want to see the increase that God’s looking for.
Growth means change. Do you want to see the changes that God wants? There must be growth if we’re going to reach out to the people God has given to us. If we are walking in a growing relationship with Christ, then we’re building on the foundation that’s been laid in our life.
Question: What have you added to the foundation of your life so far?
© Nick Zaccardi 2015
The Spirit and the Word 