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? Yesterday, we sought to glean some lessons from the mistakes of the unfaithful steward. We will flow in this vein again today.
1. The Unfaithful Steward Lacked Initiative:
— He didn’t take the first step to invest or even inquire about how to grow the talent.
— His initial reaction was to bury what the master gave him.
— His lack of initiative reflects a passive approach to the assignment and life.
— As soon as the master came back, this servant was quick to give the talent back. He wanted to get out of the assignment as quickly as possible.
If you are like the unfaithful steward, lacking initiative, you won’t get far with God.
Here are some things you can glean from this:
(a) In the Kingdom, God can do more with you once you get started.
— Many people fail to make progress in God’s Kingdom because they analyze, strategize, hypothesize, and theorize without ever doing anything.
— This man did not even try. He never even got started.
— In God’s Kingdom, if you want to make progress, you have to get started!
(b) Faith requires action.
— Faith is something you SAY, DO, or SOW in the present, based on what you believe God revealed to you about your future.
— Faith is the action you perform NOW, based on what you believe God revealed to you about something that has not happened yet.
— Saying you have faith is not enough; faith is demonstrated through action.
— When God gives you a vision or a task, taking initiative shows you believe in His promise.
— You believe it will come to pass, even though you have no sense-realm evidence to support it.
(c) Being passive will lead to missed opportunities.
— A passive approach to life’s challenges and opportunities often leads to regret.
— This man was called “unfaithful and lazy” in the parable. One of the reasons is because he lacked initiative and he was passive.
— To grow in Christ, you must be dedicated, hard-working, industrious, creative, and willing to actively pursue what you believe God is leading you to do.
(d) Initiative empowers personal growth.
— When you take the initiative, you challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone, which is where personal growth happens.
— While it is clear that this man did not want to do anything with the talent (money) his master gave him, if he had pushed through his mental resistance, he would have grown to the next level.
— You cannot grow without changing.
(e) Lack of initiative is a form of disobedience.
— Delayed obedience is disobedience.
— When God tells you to do something, you must launch out in faith, believing God for the results.
— When God entrusts us with resources, talents, or opportunities, failing to act is not just a missed opportunity but also a form of disobedience to God’s will.
(f) Initiative helps you to overcome fear.
— Taking the first step is often the hardest because of fear. However, once you take it, you’ll find that fear loses its grip, so you can walk by faith.
— Fear is an incapacitating force.
— You will never overcome fear until you take the initiative to believe God, stand in faith and MOVE OUT into what you believe God is leading you to do.
2. The Unfaithful Steward Was Ungrateful:
— He viewed the talent as a burden rather than a blessing.
— An attitude of gratitude is a Kingdom principle that opens doors for more blessings.
— His ungratefulness blinded him to the opportunities his master was giving him.
— He was so ungrateful that he was disrespectful to the master when the master came back.
Here are some things you can glean from this:
(a) In the Kingdom, gratitude attracts more blessings.
— When you’re grateful for what you have, you’re opening the door for more blessings to come into your life.
— Gratitude aligns your spirit with God’s abundance.
— One of the reasons why the man did nothing with the one talent he was given was because he did not want to lose it. Gratitude will help you overcome a scarcity (or lack) mentality.
— Being grateful to God for everything will help you overcome the fear of running out and operate with faith in running over!
(b) Ungratefulness is a barrier to opportunity.
— When you’re ungrateful, you’re less likely to see the opportunities that are right in front of you.
— When you’re ungrateful, your vision becomes clouded by negativity.
— God requires us to look at life through the lens of faith, but you put on different glasses when you are ungrateful.
— You will see the worst and not the best.
(c) Gratitude is a form of stewardship.
— Being grateful for what you’ve been given is a way of honoring God’s provision.
— It shows you don’t take His blessings for granted and are willing to use them wisely.
— A thankful heart that appreciates all God has given you is a heart that will be more apt to make the most of what you have been given.
(d) Gratitude changes your perspective.
— When you’re grateful, what you have looks like a blessing, not a burden.
— When you’re grateful, you look at everything from God’s point of view.
— When you have the proper perspective, it will change how you approach opportunities and challenges.
(e) Gratitude is a Kingdom principle.
— In God’s Kingdom, gratitude is not just good manners; it’s a spiritual principle that has the power to transform your life and circumstances.
— The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
— God wants you to give Him thanks IN IT, even when you cannot be thankful FOR IT!
— This attitude of gratitude will keep your heart OPEN to what God wants to do in the situation.
(f) Ungratefulness will eat away at your faith.
— To live by faith, you must add patience to it (Hebrews 6:12). You need faith and patience to obtain the promises of God.
— To maintain your faith while you are being patient for God’s timing, you need JOY and PEACE in believing (Romans 15:13).
— If you have the excitement that comes from JOY and the serenity that comes from PEACE, you will be patient enough to see what God said come to pass.
— But if you have the wrong attitude and you lack gratitude, you will GIVE UP far before your season of harvest comes due.
— Could it be that your faith lacks patience because your heart lacks gratitude?
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I will not be like the unfaithful steward who lacked initiative.
I refuse to be passive in my walk with You, Father. I will actively pursue the opportunities You place before me.
I am committed to personal growth. I will step out of my comfort zone, knowing that’s where growth happens.
Father, I understand that delayed obedience is disobedience. I will act promptly on Your instructions.
I will not let fear hold me back. Taking the first step will break the grip of fear, allowing me to walk by faith.
Father, I am grateful for every talent, resource, and opportunity You have given me. I see them as blessings, not burdens.
I align my spirit with Your abundance, Father.
I overcome the fear of running OUT! I operate with faith in running OVER!
I have a thankful heart that is conditioned to make the most of every opportunity.
I will maintain my joy and peace, being patient to see Your promises come to pass in my life.
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!
