Today Must Be Stewarded

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!… So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Matthew 25:26-29

If you knew the end of the world was near would you live differently? Would you spend more time with your loved ones? Would you ignore the issues, the petty things, and the challenges and instead choose to maximize each moment? Would you tell more people about Jesus? This came to mind as I read through Matthew 25 today.

Matthew 25 begins with Jesus sharing a parable warning His listeners to be ready and prepared for His future return. This theme continues in His next parable where He utilizes the story of servants being entrusted with their Master’s money. 3 servants were entrusted with large sums of their Master’s money to steward. The first servant received 5 talents, the second 2, and the third 1. Picture these servants standing there, with thousands of dollars of their Master’s wealth, thinking what their next moves would be. 

They probably thought, “How can I make my Master proud? How can I honor him for trusting me with this huge responsibility until his return? What can I do to make the most of this time?” Well, time passes and the Master returns seeking a report from his servants. The first gained 5 more and the second gained 2 more doubling the Master’s money. The Master commended these two for their hard work, savvy choices, and excellent stewardship. The final servant approached the Master and with excuses handed the Master back his single talent. The Master rebuked the servant calling him “wicked” and “lazy” and makes this declaration:

“So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Obviously a harsh rebuke…but the Master didn’t bestow the talent to be hidden and returned; rather to be utilized and stewarded for more. The servant avoided losing it, but he missed the point of the Master’s assignment. We do well to avoid the sins and things that we should not do, yet we must not forgot the importance of ensuring we do the things the Master has asked us to do.

So I ask again, if you knew the end of the world was near would you live differently? The Master’s return, Jesus’ return, is nearing and today He is asking us to steward what He has given. Within our hearts lies the wealth of the Kingdom, His love, His grace, His forgiveness and His blessing. He has granted us His knowledge and Presence as well as time, abilities, influence, and provision. May our response be, “How can I make my Master proud? How can I honor him for trusting me with this huge responsibility until his return? What can I do to make the most of this time?” Let’s be like the first 2 servants who put the Master’s talents to use dedicating ourselves to times of intentional prayer, intentional conversations, and intentional sharing of the Gospel. May we ready ourselves for His return by redeeming this day for His Glory and Gospel. May we do well to obey Him by both shunning the sin and things of this world AND sharing, speaking, and stewarding the things of His Kingdom.