This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
(Matthew 25:14-30 TPT)
14 “Again, heaven’s kingdom is like a wealthy man who went on a long journey and summoned all his trusted servants and assigned his financial management over to them. 15 Before he left on his journey, he entrusted a bag of five thousand gold coins to one of his servants, to another a bag of two thousand gold coins, and to the third a bag of one thousand gold coins, each according to his ability to manage.
16 “The one entrusted with five thousand gold coins immediately went out and traded with the money, and he doubled his investment. 17 In the same way, the one who was entrusted with two thousand gold coins traded with the sum and likewise doubled his investment. 18 But the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 “After much time had passed, the master returned to settle accounts with his servants. 20 The one who was entrusted with five thousand gold coins came and brought ten thousand, saying, ‘See, I have doubled your money.’
21 “Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you have been a faithful steward to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Enter into the joy of your Lord!” ‘
22 “Then the one who had been entrusted with two thousand gold coins came in and said, ‘See, my master, I have doubled what you have entrusted to me.’
23 “Commending his servant, the master replied, ‘You have done well, and proven yourself to be my loyal and trustworthy servant. Because you were faithful to manage a small sum, now I will put you in charge of much, much more. You will experience the delight of your master, who will say to you, “Enter into the joy of your Lord!” ‘
24 “Then the one who had been entrusted with one thousand gold coins came to his master and said, ‘Look, sir. I know that you are a hard man to please and you’re a shrewd and ruthless businessman who grows rich on the backs of others. 25 I was afraid of you, so I went and hid your money and buried it in the ground. But here it is–take it, it’s yours.’
26 “But his master said to him, ‘You’re an untrustworthy and lazy servant! If you knew I was a shrewd and ruthless business man who always makes a profit, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? 27 Then I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. 28 But because you were unfaithful, I will take the one thousand gold coins and give them to the one who has ten thousand. 29 For the one who has will be given more, until he overflows with abundance. And the one with hardly anything, even what little he has will be taken from him.’
30 “Then the master said to his other servants, ‘Now, throw that good-for-nothing servant far away from me into the outer darkness, where there will be great misery and anguish!’ “
Today I will flow in this vein: Why God cannot give you more.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God entrusts you only with what He knows you can handle at the time.
— Notice that God gave talents to the individuals according to their abilities. The one-talent man could not have been given two or five talents. Why? Because he didn’t have the ability to manage that much money. So, the owner could only release to him the amount that he was capable of adequately managing.
— The money and the financial stewardship responsibilities were given to them, the text says,
“according to their own abilities.”
— The two-talent man could not handle five talents, so he was only given two talents, which he was equipped to handle.
— It is also important to point out that the man with the grace to handle two talents was not given one. And the man who possessed the grace to handle five talents was not given two. Why? Because just like the man who was given one talent did not have the grace to manage more than one, the man who was given two had the grace for two, and the one who was given five had the grace for five. So, if God had given them less, the grace He placed on their lives would have been wasted. Here’s my point: Just like God will not give you something you are incapable of handling because you don’t have the grace for it, God is also not looking to give you LESS than what you are capable of handling because He wants you to make the most of the limited time you have on this planet.
— God is looking for His children to be dedicated, diligent, hard-working, creative, and determined to make the most of the opportunities He gives us.
— While God will never release something that will overwhelm us, He also does not want us to be so lazy that we fail to maximize the grace He has placed on our lives.
2. Reasons why God cannot give you more.
— You’re not prepared to handle the challenges associated with the increase.
— You don’t have the grace to be able to walk in the next level yet.
— You have not developed the character required to carry the weight of the anointing associated with that type of assignment.
— You haven’t been through enough. You don’t have the experience that’s required for you to have gained wisdom to make the most of it.
— You have the wrong attitude. The person with one talent definitely had the wrong attitude. The other two were happy with doubling the money. They saw it as a privilege and an honor to be able to do that for their master. However, the one talent man had the wrong attitude towards the master. He didn’t want to do anything to promote the master. That type of attitude will not get you anywhere with God or in this world.
— If God releases the blessing before someone is prepared to handle it, then what was supposed to be a blessing will wind up being a burden. What was supposed to be a blessing can wind up being a curse.
— If it is true that I would never allow you to face something that you can’t handle (and it is), then it is also true that I will never release a blessing to us that we are not prepared for.
— A blessing given to you before you are capable of handling it can ruin your life. You must be processed to be able to handle success and/or abundance.
— The reason why so many people say winning the lottery ruined their lives is because they were not mentally, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually prepared for the increase. The right thing, at the wrong time, becomes the wrong thing.
— While you are you may think you’re waiting on God to bless you, He may be waiting on you to get ready. He may be waiting on you to fix your attitude, gain more experience, or develop the character required to walk in that blessing.
So, while you are asking God for more, make sure you are doing what He requires you to be able to receive it. He will not release it until you are capable of handling it.
3. Don’t confuse what you are called to do with what you are capable of handling right now.
— We live our lives out within the continuum of time. God is an eternal God who is outside of time. So, when God speaks to us, He always speaks from the position of what I call “The Eternal NOW!” For God, who is outside of time, it is always NOW! This is why God will reveal something to you in your prayer closet, and the way He said it, it sounds like it will happen right NOW! Why? Because in eternity, everything is always NOW. However, in time, it may not happen for weeks, months, years, or decades.
— If you believe God has given you a vision of an amazing future, please understand that He won’t release the “greater” until you are prepared to handle it.
— You must embrace the process of being discipled, developed, matured, and processed. The processing is required for you to be able to handle the dream God placed in your heart.
— David was anointed to be the King of Israel when he was 17 years old. But he was not ready for it. He had to go through all sorts of challenges and processing before he was ready to walk in the fullness of his calling.
— Joseph received a dream from God when he was 17 years old. But he was not ready for it. He had to endure the pit, Potiphar, and prison phases of his life before he was ready to handle the palace.
— Gideon was called to lead the Israelites in one of the most amazing revolutions in history. It was Gideon and his 300 vs. over 100k men. But when God called Gideon to do it, he was not ready. He saw himself as the weakest man from the weakest clan.
— God called Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. As soon as Paul got Born-Again and received his calling, he tried to do it. He started preaching right away, before he was ready, before he had been prepared or processed. So what happened? He was almost killed twice. Paul had to leave everything, go back home to Tarsus, and spend three years in isolation, getting ready before God released him into ministry.
— So, if God gave you a major dream, thank Him for it. Put it up in your prayer closet. Put it up on your vision board. Pray over it. Give God praise for it. But don’t think it is going to happen today or tomorrow. God will not release it until you are capable of handling it.
4. If God tells you that you are ready now, believe Him because it means His grace is on you [NOW] to do what He called you to do.
— While it is essential to be prepared to handle the anointing connected to your dream, you must already recognize the fact that if God says you are ready, then you are ready, whether you feel ready or not.
— If God releases something to you now, trust that you are ready for it. Even if you doubt your readiness, if God has given it, then His grace is on you to succeed.
— The position or level you’re operating in now is a testament to the grace you possess. God wouldn’t have placed you there if you weren’t equipped to win, dominate, and overcome.
— We carry a grace that ensures our success. God did not place you where you are to fail. You were born to succeed!~
In closing, the owner didn’t give the servants financial management responsibilities expecting them to fail. He allocated responsibilities based on their abilities, ensuring both his success and theirs. When we succeed, we bring glory to God’s name. Remember, we were not born to fail; we were born to win.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I acknowledge that You entrust me only with what I can handle at this moment.
I recognize that You give talents according to individual abilities. You never set me up for failure.
I believe that just as You won’t give me more than I can handle, You also won’t give me less than my potential.
I am dedicated, diligent, and determined to make the most of every opportunity You provide.
I am committed to preparing myself, refining my attitude, and gaining the experience needed to handle greater blessings.
Father, I understand the difference between my calling and what I am capable of handling right now.
I embrace the process of discipleship, knowing that it prepares me for the dreams You’ve placed in my heart.
Father, I remember that I was not born to fail; I was born to win, and with You, all things are possible.
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
