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. Your mindset will impact your level of stewardship.
The right mindset aligns you with God’s will.
— Since God’s ways are above our ways, and His thoughts are above our thoughts when we come to God, our mindset has to be renewed to align with God.
— This alignment enables you to be a better steward of the resources He has entrusted to you.
You must learn to think “Abundance Over Scarcity.”
— When Isabella and I came to God, we both had a poverty mindset (because of our backgrounds).
— God does not have a poverty or scarcity mindset. God was not going to change. Therefore, we needed to change.
— In order to make the most of whatever God places in your hands, you must develop a mindset that is rooted in the abundance of God’s grace and provision.
— If you don’t, you won’t see things from God’s point of view, and you won’t have the faith or courage to take the risks God leads you to take due to the fear of running out (instead of faith in running over).
To walk with God, you must develop a faith-based decision-making process.
— It is impossible to please God without faith.
— God is looking for faith in the earth (Luke 18:8).
— In order to make the most of the resources and opportunities God places in your hands, you must be rooted and grounded in faith!
— It takes faith to make decisions that honor God and expand His Kingdom.
— Without faith, it is far too easy to settle for the status quo.
To walk with God effectively, you must develop a heart that is filled with expectancy and hope!
— A positive mindset creates an atmosphere of expectancy.
— When you walk with God and live by faith, you expect to succeed!
— You do not expect to succeed, win, or come out on top because of your own abilities. You have learned how to rest in God’s ability.
— When you are convinced that God is ON you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you, you will rest in His grace, knowing that His grace is sufficient for you.
— When you get to this point, you will abound in hope!
To make the most of your time and the resources God has entrusted to you, you must acknowledge that you are accountable to God!
— Remembering that you will give an account to God for how you’ve managed His resources can instill a sense of responsibility and urgency, steering your mindset toward effective stewardship.
— Reminding yourself of your accountability to God will help you live with the “urgency of the NOW!”
— The Bible says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17 NIV).
— The Bible teaches us when we stand before God (after we are welcomed into heaven because of our relationship with God’s Son), our works will be placed into two piles. One pile will be labeled: gold, silver, and jewels. This pile will contain the things we did for God because God was leading us to do it, and we did it the right way. The other pile will be labeled: wood, hay, and straw. This pile will contain the things we did on our own or we did in the name of God, but not the right way. Both piles will be tested by the fire.
— Only the things we did for God, the right way, will stand the test. The way the older saints would say it is, “Baby, only what you do for God will last!”
— To be a good steward, we must live our lives knowing that the Master is coming back someday, and when He does, He will be ready to settle accounts. He is going to want to know what you did with what He gave you!
2. Different number of talents, but the same reward.
Equitable, not equal.
— The parable teaches us that God’s system is one of equity, not necessarily equality.
— God gives each of us different amounts based on our ability, but the expectation for stewardship is the same: faithfulness (which, in the parable we see, means increase).
— You should not get caught up in what God is doing in the life of someone else, because you don’t know where they are in their journey with God.
— They may be at a point where they can manage more than you can. That is not an inditement against you. You have your own race and your own grace.
— God is only going to hold you accountable for what He gave you to do. This is why you need to focus on running your own race, with your own grace, at your own pace!
It’s not about the quantity.
— The focus of the parable is not on how much you have but on what you do with what you have.
— The quality of your stewardship is what God values, not the quantity of your resources.
— The steward who doubled 2 talents of gold received the SAME REWARD as the one who doubled 5 talents of gold. Why? Because it was not about the amount. It was about what they did with what they were given!
— Stop focusing on the amount. Some people can manage more than you. Some people may have prayed for more than yo prayed. Whatever the case, you will only be held accountable for what God gave YOU!
— Focus on what YOU have divine oversight of, and do your best with that!
God is looking for faithfulness!
— The parable illustrates that the reward is proportional to faithfulness, not the amount.
— This teaches us that God values our faithfulness in little things, promising rulership over much when we are faithful (Luke 16:10).
Walking with God is about individual accountability.
— Each steward was accountable for their own talents.
— Comparing ourselves to others is futile and distracts us from our own responsibilities.
— You will not be questioned about or required to answer for what someone else did.
— When you stand before God, it is going to be all about what YOU DID or what YOU FAILED TO DO with what God gave you!
God’s metrics are kingdom-based.
— God’s metrics for success are different from the world’s.
— He looks at the heart, the effort, and the faithfulness behind our actions, not just the end result.
— All God is asking for from you is EVERYTHING you have.
— God has never required any less than ALL of us!
— God wants you to put your ALL into your walk with Him. If you do, you will hear “Well done,” and it will have nothing to do with HOW MUCH you had in the end.
— God does not measure success in cars, money, houses, fame, or titles. God measures success in the level you were able to accomplish His purpose for your life before you died.
Walking with God requires developing an eternal perspective.
— The ultimate reward is eternal. Never forget that!
— As the old adage says, “Some people cannot see the forest for the trees!”
— It is so easy to get caught up in meetings, reports, proposals, submissions, deadlines, paying bills, going shopping, going to events, etc. that we forget what life is about.
— When we are faithful in our earthly stewardship, we store up treasures in heaven where it truly matters.
Both faithful stewards heard, “Well done my good and faithful steward. You have been faithful over little, I will give you charge over much. Enter now into the joy of the Lord!”
— The one who doubled 5 talents got to experience the master’s JOY!
— The one who doubled 2 talents got the SAME REWARD!
— He got to experience the SAME JOY!
— Don’t get so caught comparing yourself to others that you miss out on the JOY God has for YOU!
I will close with this. The Bible says, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV).
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
My mindset will be in harmony with Your will, ensuring I am a faithful steward of all You’ve entrusted to me.
I choose abundance over scarcity, recognizing that You are a God of overflow and not lack.
I will not be held back by a poverty mindset. Instead, I embrace the abundance of Your grace and provision, ensuring I view challenges through the lens of faith and not fear.
I commit to a faith-based decision-making process, knowing that without faith, it’s impossible to please You.
My heart is filled with expectancy and hope, expecting to succeed not by my might but by Your grace.
I rest in Your ability, knowing that Your grace is sufficient for me. In You, I abound in hope and expectancy.
Father, I acknowledge my accountability to You. I will steward Your resources with a sense of responsibility and urgency.
I understand that one day I will stand before You, giving an account of how I managed Your resources. I aim to hear “Well done.”
I understand that You value faithfulness, even in the little things. I aim to be faithful in all things, big or small.
I refuse to compare myself to others, understanding that such comparisons are not wise. Instead, I will focus on the unique path You’ve set for me, aiming to experience the joy You have in store.
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!
