“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. Matthew 25:19
Scripture makes it clear that each one of us is responsible for what we do with the one life that we have been given, including how we spend our time, resources, and talents. After all, all of these things are gifts from God. The responsibility we have to steward our gifts from God well is only part of the story, however. You see, one day, we will all stand before God and give an account for what we did with the gifts God has given us. This, my friends, should motivate us to do everything we can to have an impact for Christ.
In our Bible study yesterday, we began reading about a story that Jesus told in Matthew 25. In this story, a man was going on a long trip, so he entrusted his money to his servants to invest while he was gone (verse 14). He gave each servant a certain amount of money “in proportion to their abilities” (verse 15). Our story picks up today when the man returned home from his trip. At this point in the story, Jesus said, “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money” (verse 19). It was time for the three servants in this story to account for what they did with the money he had given them. Jesus told this story to illustrate that one day, every follower of Christ will give an account for what we did with our lives, including what we did with the lives that He has given us to live here on this earth. This understanding should motivate everything we do, recognizing that how we choose to live, how we spend our time, and how we allocate our resources matters. The decisions we make today matter. After all, we will all stand before God one day.
The question we have to answer today is: How will we live our lives? What will we do with our time, talent, and resources that God entrusts to us? Will we take each moment seriously, knowing that we will give an account for what we did with our lives, or will we waste our lives, failing to leverage everything we have for God and His kingdom. May each one of us live in such a way that we will stand before God confidently, knowing we stewarded all of the resources He gave us well.
In a journal or notebook, write down your answer to these questions: “What do you want God to say when you stand before Him one day? What actions would lead to that hopeful response from God? Then, list out ways you can live today that would lead to the response from God that you are hoping for. Commit to living today in such a way that God will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (verse 21).
“God, as I seek to steward my time and resources well, guide me…”
Matthew 25:16-23
16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
©2026 Sagebrush Church
