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? Today I will focus on verse 29, which says, “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.’
1. God’s resources are limitless.
— Earlier in the series, I made the point that God owns everything everywhere. God is not limited in any way.
— As the Creator of the universe, God has unlimited resources at His disposal.
— God has an infinite supply. Therefore, His economy is not based on a system of finite resources, like the economies of this world are.
— Simply put, there is no lack in God. In God’s economy, lack is an alien concept.
— He is the God who provides “exceedingly abundantly above all we ask, think, or even imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
— The owner in the text was not afraid of running out. He was giving his servants an opportunity to participate in HIs joy by becoming good stewards of His resources.
2. To walk with God effectively, you must gain an understanding of the principle of overflow.
— Our God is a God of abundance. He operates in abundance, not scarcity.
— God’s desire is for us to overflow with blessings. If you look at the people He blessed in the Bible, He did not give them “just enough.” God’s blessings are always overflowing.
— There is a cycle of overflow in God’s Kingdom. When you are faithful with what you have, God entrusts you with more until you overflow.
— God gives you more than enough because He wants you to use the overflow to BE a blessing to others.
— You minister to people out of your overflow. In other words, in God’s economy, abundance is not just for self-consumption but also for distribution to bless others.
— The purpose of prosperity is evangelism.
— To make the most of the short time God has given you on this planet, you must learn to think the way He thinks. You must shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset to align with God’s economics.
3. God’s Perspective (limitless and infinite) vs. Man’s Perspective (limited and finite).
— To walk with God and make the most of your divine assignment, you must learn to look at life through God’s eyes.
— God doesn’t give based on our limited vision, but according to His limitless vision. God releases resources to you based on the future He planned for you before you were born.
— Faithfulness matters! God measures your readiness for abundance by how faithful you have been with what you already have.
— While God’s perspective is one of abundance and overflow, He will not release the abundance before you are capable of handling it.
— The owner in the text gave one man 5 talents of gold, one 2 talents of gold, and one 1 talent of gold. He gave them the amounts that were commensurate with their ability to manage.
— In God’s Kingdom, God uses divine metrics to measure readiness. In this world, they may say you are ready because you have an education or because of the type of degree you have. But in God’s Kingdom, he is not looking at the degrees you have on the wall or the letters you have behind your name. God is looking for faithfulness, and He is checking your heart to see if you have the right attitude.
— If you are attitude is right, and if you prove yourself faithful over what you have been entrusted with, there is NO LIMIT to what God will release to you!
— This is one of the reasons why we end every declaration of faith with, “GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!” I want you to develop a mindset that is in alignment with God. In God’s economy, as you prove yourself faithful over little, He freely releases abundance and overflow!
4. It takes faith to align with God’s Economics.
— Faith is the currency of God’s Kingdom. Without faith, we cannot access God’s system.
— Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
— The man who was given 5 talents pleased his master. The one who was given 2 talents pleased his master. In the parable, God is the Master, and since you cannot please God without faith, this tells me that the two faithful stewards in the text had to use their faith to make the most of what they were given. In other words, they could not double the money without faith.
— For you to do what God has called you to do and for you to live a life that is pleasing in His sight, it will require faith!
— Faith without works is dead. In God’s economy, faith is demonstrated through action.
— These men took what they were given, and they LAUNCHED OUT, IN FAITH, in an attempt to make the most of the opportunity. This is how we have to live, too!
— To live by faith, you must overcome the fear of failure and the fear associated with the risks God is leading you to. I use the word “risk” because I believe it is appropriate when describing faith.
— To live by faith, you have to attempt things that you believe God is leading you to do, but you must do so without any evidence to support it. Therefore, from a human point of view, this is a risky proposition.
— To live by faith, you must be willing to take the risk. Faith will require you to do things AT THE RISK OF LOOKING FOOLISH!
— If you are too afraid of taking any risks, you will “play it safe,” you will remain in your comfort zone, and you will more than likely miss out on God’s best because God’s best is not found in a place of comfort.
5. There is a high cost to being unfaithful to God.
— The unfaithful steward in our text LOST what he had been given. The 1 talent of gold he had was taken away from him and given to the one who had 10.
— Unfaithfulness doesn’t just prevent future blessings; it can cause you to lose what you already have.
— The Parable of the Talents is a parable of accountability and stewardship.
— In God’s economy, we’re accountable for what we’ve been given, and poor stewardship has consequences.
— Unfaithfulness leads to missed opportunities for growth, impact, and Kingdom advancement.
— In the case of the parable, not only did he lose the 1 talent of gold he had been given, but he also lost his relationship with the master. I pray this serves as a warning to all of us to be faithful over what God has entrusted into our care!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
You own everything, everywhere. Your resources are limitless.
You are a God of abundance, not scarcity. Lack is an alien concept in Your Kingdom.
Father, I understand the principle of overflow. You bless me not just to meet my needs but to make me a blessing to others.
I commit to looking at life through Your eyes, not my limited perspective. You release resources based on Your limitless vision and the future You have planned for me.
I will be faithful with what I have, so You can trust me with more.
I understand that faith is the currency of Your Kingdom. I will act in faith, demonstrating my belief through my actions.
I will not let fear hold me back. I will take risks as You lead me, even at the risk of looking foolish, because I know that’s where Your best is found for 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!
