While teaching His followers, Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey” (Matthew 25: 14-15). The first important thing to note here is that the Lord likens this operation to the Kingdom of Heaven, highlighting that this is how God operates. He is not a social communist as some would like to believe, and the idea of “equality” that has been distorted by culture does not apply to God – He gives each man according to his ability, which refers to the capacity to manage. He continued, “After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (v.19) – read carefully, the master returned after A LONG TIME, which signifies that he had given his servants sufficient time to find their feet and trade in the market he had left them in. This is the same with God, He is extraordinarily patient, not quick to anger and gives us chance after chance to learn, make mistakes, grow from them, then soar! But many people despise that period where they perceive nothing to be progressing, they do not understand that this is the time the Lord has given graciously for preparation, for learning and for investment!
What we need to understand is that most of what we desire to accomplish requires long investment if it is to stand long. This preparation period is the strengthening of the believer, but believers would rather murmur instead of taking the Word that assures us that “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This long time is not for Him, He does not need it – it is for you, for your benefit, so you can stand the test of time and not fail at the highest scale. Study the scriptures, everyone who worked well and long with God was prepared; compare King David and King Saul – one was immediately appointed without process, and another was a prepared vessel!
After the master returned and assessed the work of his servants, he commended the two who had gained profit saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21). Here we see promotion; from a servant to a ruler – because the two were faithful (reliable, dependable) over the little that was given and were thus given their reward. But the servant who had buried his talent cried, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours” (v.24 – 25). He had opted to criticize, and his eye was drawn away from the value of his master’s institution and into a space where he had grown contempt. His unfruitfulness was inevitable as a result, and the institution churned from producing good outcomes for him. The master judged, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed… So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents” (v.26-28). See this church, the kingdom of heaven is not an NGO and a social welfare project where those who are without are prioritized over those who seem to have; but opportunities in the kingdom are given to productive men who will yield more crop for their master and put His investments to good work! The Lord emphasized, “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (v.29) – where the object of possession in question is faithfulness; which we all ought to pursue with vigour!
We see the consequence of the lack of faithfulness in the story of apostle Paul, Barnabus and John Mark (Acts 15:37-41). Apostle Paul opted for a separation from his companion and previous partner rather than to accommodate a man who had previously left them when convenient and showed himself unreliable at a time when they needed him most. He went on to counsel Timothy that the work of ministry in Ephesus was to be handed to ‘faithful men’ (2 Timothy 2:2), not necessarily gifted or even experienced men, but those who had been found to be reliable and dependable! Faithfulness leads to an increase in capacity, and will ensure that we are promoted from servants to rulers!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your word of instruction! We thank You because our faithfulness is at work and increasing, our capacity is increasing, and our promotion is inevitable! We thank You for talents and opportunities, for spaces and territory, for dominion and rulership! We are made in Your likeness, and we have been given victory through Christ Jesus our Lord! We praise You! In the name of Jesus, Amen!
1 Comment
Gwinyai
Amen