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!’ “
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The deception of the devil can blind you to the goodness of God.
(2 Cor 4:4 NLT)
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
— The devil uses deception to turn people against God.
— The devil has blinded the minds of many, making them unable to see God’s goodness.
— Don’t allow the devil to deceive you to the point where your heart becomes hardened or bitter towards God.
2. The mind of the unfaithful steward was blinded to the goodness of the master.
— The unfaithful steward thought the master was trying to get rich from his efforts.
— The unfaithful steward had the wrong perception of the master.
— The unfaithful steward’s mind was blinded to the master’s goodness.
— If your heart is blinded to the goodness of God, you will be skeptical of God (as the unfaithful steward was in this text), and your mistrust will keep you from opening your heart to God’s best.
3. If you are deceived to the point where you cannot see the goodness of God, you will miss out on His best when He is trying to bless you.
— Our God is a good God.
— Our good God made good plans for you before you were born.
— Our good God wants to bless you. Not because you are good but because He is good.
— If you have the wrong perception of God, you will miss out on what He is trying to do when He is trying to bless you.
— This is the mistake the unfaithful steward made.
— He was deceived, he did not trust the master, and he wound up doing NOTHING with what he was entrusted with.
— The danger with those who are deceived is that they actually think they are right. This unfaithful steward was convinced that he was doing the right thing.
— Sincerity does not equal accuracy. You can be sincere and be sincerely wrong.
— Many people are so blinded to the goodness of God that they resent God and those who follow God. They are convinced they are right, but there will come a day (like the day that came for the unfaithful steward) when they will have to account for their actions. On that day, they will realize they have been deceived. But as with the unfaithful steward, it will be too late then.
4. Bitterness and resentment can block your blessings.
— The unfaithful steward harbored resentment and bitterness in his heart towards the master.
— This bitterness prevented him from receiving the blessings the master wanted to give him.
— Don’t make the same mistake; don’t let bitterness or deception blind you to God’s goodness.
— God is a good God, and He wants to bless you simply because he is good!
5. The consequences of being deceived are far-reaching.
— Some people allow life’s circumstances to make them bitter toward God.
— Others are deceived to the point where their spiritual eyes are blinded to God’s goodness.
— If you’re deceived, you’ll miss out on the financial stewardship responsibilities and blessings that God wants to bestow upon you.
— It’s hard to care about what God wants you to do with the resources He placed in your hands when you don’t trust God.
— Trusting God and believing in His love towards you in the foundation for your faith.
6. You need faith to accept and walk in the goodness of God.
— Faith is the currency of God’s Kingdom.
— Without faith, you can’t please God, and you can’t access His best for your life.
— Faith works by love.
— Your faith will be strong when you are convinced that God loves you and that He wants to use you by His grace, not because you are so good.
— Your faith will be strong when you are convinced that God ONLY wants to do what He wants to do in/with/through your life because He loves you! Because He is good, not because you are!
— The unfaithful steward was skeptical of his master. If you are skeptical of God, you won’t have faith because your faith must be rooted and grounded in God’s love for you.
— You must be convinced that God is good and that He wants to bless you because He is good. You must be convinced that God made plans to bless you before the world began and that He wants to bless you because He planned to do so. Understanding this will help you open your heart to God’s goodness. It will also help deliver you from performance-based religion, which teaches you to perform for God’s blessing.
7. Your Perception Determines Your Reception.
— How you see God determines how you receive from God.
— If you see God as a good God, you’ll be open to all the blessings He has for you.
— Your perception of God should not be based on your circumstances or performance but on His goodness and unchanging nature.
— Change your mindset from performance to grace and from scarcity to abundance. This way, you will be open to God’s best!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I am not blinded by the deception of the devil. I see Your goodness clearly in my life.
I reject any form of bitterness or resentment that could block my blessings. My heart is open to Your goodness, Father.
I know You are a good God, and You have good plans for me, plans made before I was even born.
I am convinced that You want to bless me, not because I am good, but because You are good.
I see You as a good God, and I am open to all the blessings You have for me.
I change my mindset from performance to grace, from scarcity to abundance.
Father, I am convinced that You want to do what You planned to do in me, with me, and through me simply because You love me!
Living with this mindset, 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!
