Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
“And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
“Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
“And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ” Luke 19:11-27
I am continuing with the stories in Luke 19 as the Lord calls us to change in various areas of life! In the last devotional, I shared about Zacchaeus and how the acceptance of Jesus caused him to change his way of life!
In the above parable, the master decided to give different amounts of talents to his servants. The issue was not equality but stewardship. The first two servants stewarded well what was allotted to them and increased what was given to them. The master was pleased with both of them and gave them even more to manage. However, the third servant hid his mina and did not do anything out of fear of the master.
What Jesus addressed in this parable was not performance but stewardship. The scripture tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from above (See James 1:17). When the Lord blesses us, it is not just for ourselves; we are not called to hoard it but to be an outlet. The person who has been anointed by God has a responsibility to use it according to the Lord’s instructions and to be a channel of God’s blessing. God’s gifts are not just for us, and we cannot be selfish with them. We should be open and available to use them and be a blessing as God has blessed us.
In the above parable, the master expected a return on his investment, but the third master was fearful and did not trust his master’s character. Whenever fear comes in, it sucks faith out of people’s lives and they no longer want to follow God where He leads. The flesh wants to do what is safe and convenient. Interestingly, fear can project itself as wisdom! We need to seek the Lord and allow Him to show us if our hesitation is due to fear or wisdom.
We don’t control the level of fruitfulness and multiplication, but we need to be faithful in sowing, nurturing, and putting to work what the Lord has blessed us with. Then in due season, God brings the increase, and we can reap a harvest because we have been diligent and unafraid to put to work what He has given us.
Is there anything that you have been afraid to begin? Ask the Lord to show you the reason behind the fear. Allow the Lord to speak to you and move forward. It’s time to change and not hide behind fear!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay