Ricky Sarthou Date: January 1, 2012Download Links:  4Ws Audio Video |
The life you’ve been given is a precious gift from God. God wants you to make your life count, and He shows you how. The Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-29 provides us with a pattern to follow for a life well-lived.
Proclaim everything comes from the Master. We are not the owner of our life, but simply a steward. Jesus Christ, our true Master, decides how much or how little of His property He intends to entrust to each of us (vv.14-15). We tend to believe that the material possessions, the relationships, opportunities, the influence, time, and money truly belong to us. They don’t. When some of these things are withheld from us, we get upset. Job, when faced with the greatest tragedy of his life, reacted differently. He said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) Job proclaimed everything belongs to his Master.
We may not have the same circumstances in life but we should neither compare nor complain. The love of God is the same for all His people. God’s promises are equally true to all of His people. He may have different plans for each of us, different number of days to live, but His love and intentions for us are the same.
God wants us to be trustworthy and faithful stewards (1 Corinthians 4:2) who give our best in making sure that the talents He entrusted to us will grow.
Persevere according to the expectations of the Master. This is an overflow of a life lived in intimacy with Jesus. There are many people in this world who persevere according to the expectation of other men or their own egoistic desires. The first two servants had the sense of urgency to work on what were entrusted to them and make profit (vv 16-18). They knew that it was what their master expected of them.
God’s expectations for our lives are clear. We learn that from His Word and from the people He surrounds us with. What is God convicting you to stop or to do differently this year? James 1:4 says, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This is the highest good that the Lord is seeking for us: that we gain the character of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Present fruitful work to the Master. There will be a day when we will face our Master and make account for how we lived our lives. Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” The problem of the third servant was not a lack of ability or IQ. It was attitude. He was “wicked and lazy.” He didn’t even think of depositing the money in the bank to gain interest. The point is, whatever God entrusts with us, He expects us to grow it. To hide or not to use it is wickedness.
The ultimate will of our Lord is to have a joyous reunion with us. He longs to say, “Come and share in your Master’s joy,” when we meet Him. This is what’s at stake in making our life count.
The psalmist wrote, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4) That’s a life that counts.
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