Note: A quick note on September 11th. We will never forget. Please take a moment of silence to honor the lives we lost on that tragic day.
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. God is the owner!
— Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are the OWNER and not the STEWARD of the life you have been given.
— In the parable of the talents, the money belonged to the owner, and the servants belonged to the owner. Everything belonged to him.
— Being a good financial steward is a reflection of our understanding of God’s ownership.
— Many people want to hear, “Well done, you good and faithful steward.” But the only place this phrase is found in the Bible is related to money (financial stewardship). So if you want to hear, “Well done,” you should seek to manage the assets God blesses you to manage WELL!
— When you realize you are not the “owner” of your life and how you are called to manage (or make the most of) God’s resources (which includes your life), you make your life all about God’s plans and purposes.
— Recognizing God as the owner helps unleash our potential, as it aligns us with our original purpose.
— Realizing we are stewards and not owners can be liberating and purpose-defining because you no longer have to be the architect of your own life. You may have spent years, or even decades, struggling to plan a fulfilling life. But once you realize you are not the owner, you can yield to the plans He made for you before the world began. This is both liberating and empowering.
— When you realize God owns everything, and you are simply managing His resources, you look at life from His point of view, where supernatural provision is possible. Once you take on this point of view, you are not limited in any way!
— Recognizing God as the owner opens us up to receive His favor as we align our actions with His will.
— Recognizing God as the owner allows us to steward our lives under the umbrella of His grace, not our works. Why? You realize that God would only give you management responsibilities over things He has already given you the grace to manage. This takes the pressure off of you, and it enables you to enter into God’s rest concerning whatever you are responsible for.
Recognizing God as the owner helps take the pressure off of you in many ways:
— You don’t have to come up with all the plans because He already did before you were born.
— You don’t have to come up with all the money because you are living life with someone else’s money, and His resources are limitless. He has millions of ways to get millions of resources into your hands.
— You don’t have to make everything happen by the sweat of your brow because when you are doing what God called you to do, His favor goes before you like a shield.
— Simply put, life is so much better (it’s #TheGraceLife), when you realize your life is not your own. You were bought with a price, and that price was the blood of Jesus! So look to God as the owner of everything as ultimately as your source!
2. Our God is a God of INCREASE and ADVANCEMENT.
— The steward who was called “wicked and lazy” did not lose the money he was given. He maintained it. He held on to it. And he was still called “wicked and lazy.” Why? Because the owner (God) was looking for an increase!
— In the parable of the talents, God calls increase faithfulness!
— God entrusted His money to three people, and He was looking for a return on His investment.
— God gives you resources, and He wants you to EXPAND His resources so He can EXPAND His Kingdom on earth.
— God is a God of increase and advancement. God is looking for us to increase and advance. He called the increase “Faithfulness,” and he called the one who did not increase the resources (although he did not lose it) “Wicked.”
— God is looking for us to exercise faith to multiply what He’s given us.
— God’s favor can bring opportunities for increase and advancement in unexpected ways.
— To be clear, the increase I am talking about is not for selfish gain but for the advancement of God’s Kingdom on the earth.
— God’s grace empowers us to increase and advance beyond our natural abilities.
— Once you are Born-Again, you have an instinct for increase. God has wired us for growth and expansion, and it’s our job to tap into that.
Here is a Personal Testimony (related to a mentality of increase and advancement):
Our God is a God of progress and increase; He’s not content with us being stagnant or failing to make progress. I will make a connection between my military career and the parable of the talents.
I joined the Army at 17 with no college education, no connections, and no ROTC background in high school. I started as a private, the lowest rank, E-1. By the time I got to my first unit in Germany, I was an E-2. My section sergeant, an E-6 Staff Sergeant, was not pleased with my ambition to rise through the ranks quickly.
He had joined the Army during the Vietnam era and had been promoted only once in his 20-year career. He was content with that, maintaining his rank for the rest of his career. In contrast, I went from E-1 to E-6 in less than five years and became a Staff Sergeant at 22. By 24, I was a Warrant Officer in the US Army Signal Corps. Our mentalities were clearly at odds; I was focused on promotion and increase, while he was content with maintaining what he had. It baffled me to think that he could be “okay” with only getting promoted once in 20 years. Once he made Staff Sergeant, and he knew he could retire as a Staff Sergeant, he had no desire to move up. Like the lazy steward in our text, he was okay with holding on to what he had for years without making any progress.
Whenever I thought about that, even as a young man, I had a visceral reaction to it. I knew God had wired me for increase. I was not okay with being stagnant.
Another example that illustrates my point came when I was a Warrant Officer. I got promoted to Warrant Officer 1 at 24. Most Warrant Officers at the time were crossing over from enlisted ranks at around the 12 or 13-year mark. This meant that they would make Chief Warrant Officer 2 around the 15-year mark, and if they failed to make Chief Warrant Officer 3, it did not matter for retirement purposes because, by then, they would be retirement-eligible.
My case was different. I became a Warrant Officer with only six years of service. This meant I got promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 at the 8-year mark (not the 14 or 15-year mark that was customary back then). If I failed to make Chief Warrant Officer 3, I would be forced to leave the Army without the ability to retire. Officers have to “move up,” or they have to “move out.”
I remember being in a meeting with a group of senior Warrant Officers when I was a newly promoted Chief Warrant Officer 2. I was at the 8-year mark in my career. I was 12 years away from my retirement eligibility. The group told me that I represented a “new breed” of Warrant Officers who were crossing over from the enlisted ranks far earlier than they did. They were concerned for me and others like me. They said, “Rick, if you don’t get promoted to CW3, the Army will kick you out without the ability to retire. In other words, for us, making CW3 was nice. But for you, making CW3 is MAJOR because if you don’t, your career is over.” They went on to tell me that they were working with the Department of the Army to make provisions for people like me. They wanted to protect young Warrant Officers by keeping them around until they could retire, even if they couldn’t get promoted.
I was young and perhaps a bit arrogant, but I pushed back on their offer. I told them, “Please don’t do that. If I can’t make CW3, the Army should kick me out. Are you telling me that you want the Army to keep someone around for 5 or 6 years, who cannot get promoted, just for the sake of giving them a retirement?” This was crazy to me. My mentality has always been one of increase and promotion. This mindset aligns with the lazy steward in the parable, and I cannot agree with it. God values progress and increase, not stagnation and status-quo.
Going back to the “instinct for increase,” I believe God has wired us for growth and expansion, and it’s our job to tap into that!
Our God is a God of progression, not regression or stagnation. With Him, it is: FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER! THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
Your latter shall be greater than your former! (Haggai 2:9).
Though your beginning may be small, yet your latter end shall greatly increase! (Job 8:7).
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
You are the Owner of all things, including my life. I am merely a steward of the resources and opportunities You’ve entrusted to me.
I understand that being a good financial steward is a reflection of my understanding of Your ownership. I aim to manage well all that You’ve blessed me with.
I make my life all about Your plans and purposes, Father. I yield to the plans You made for me before the world began.
I open myself up to Your favor, aligning my actions with Your will. I steward my life under the umbrella of Your grace, not my works.
I recognize You as a God of Increase and Advancement. I refuse to be like the wicked and lazy servant. I will not just maintain; I will multiply what You’ve given me.
I am a good steward, Father, and I know that You will give me more as I prove faithful. I am ready for divine elevation and new levels of responsibility.
I am Your co-laborer in the advancement of Your Kingdom. I am ready to affect people and systems in this world for Your glory.
I declare that my latter shall be greater than my former. I am aligned with Your law of divine multiplication. Forward ever, backward never! The best is yet to come!
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!
