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!’ Matthew 25:21
Maybe you are not a person who has made many financial investments, or maybe you are someone who has made more than a few financial investments as a way to steward your finances well. Regardless of the investments you have or have not made, this concept extends far beyond our financial investments. Scripture teaches that we have all been given gifts from God, such as our time, talents, and resources, and we have the opportunity to make investments from all of these gifts. The question is, how are we investing?
Jesus taught about the importance of the investments we make in Matthew 25. This story was about financial investments, but it certainly had a deeper meaning beyond our financial investments. In this story, He taught that a master gave three servants a sum of money before leaving for a trip. Each servant had to decide what to do with the money that they were given. Two servants invested the money they were given and were able to double the amount of money that they had received from their master. The third servant dug a hole and buried the money so that it would sit in that hole until the master returned, which clearly was a bad investment.
Our focus today is on the two servants who invested well. When the master returned from his trip, he called all 3 servants to ask for an account of how they had used the money they had been given. The two servants who had doubled the money they were given by investing were praised for what they had done. In both cases, 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!” (verses 21 and 23). Both of these servants were wise with what they had been given, and they were rewarded and praised for the way they had invested.
Jesus told this story for a purpose: to teach listeners something. In this story particularly, Jesus was teaching about heaven and what it is like. He wanted those listening to understand that the gifts that they are given on earth are indeed gifts, and we are responsible for how we invest them. God has given each one of us talents, gifts, and opportunities; we can squander them or invest well. I do not know about you, but I want to invest well.
Investing well requires wisdom. This is true financially and as we consider the gifts, including the time, talents, and resources that He has given us. The good news is that Scripture promises that God will give wisdom if we ask Him for it (James 1:5). Take some time right now to do just that. Ask God for wisdom as you consider how you invest your gifts from Him. After praying, pay attention to how God might answer your prayer and provide the wisdom you have been asking for.
Read Matthew 25:14-23(NLT)
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 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.’
“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!’
“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.’
“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!’
©2024 Sagebrush Church
