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Faithful With What You've Been Given · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Good morning friends, it's friendsly.
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  Welcome back to the podcast. I'm realizing as I say, friends
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  and friendsly that is kind of a tongue twister, but welcome
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  back. So glad y'all are here.
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  We are going to be reading once again in Matthew and we're going
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  to be in chapter 25 verses 14 through 30 today.
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  So we've been talking a lot about Jesus's return and
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  touching on complacency, that being spiritually sleepy and in
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  an overly comfortable posture is very dangerous.
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  But today we are going to be seeing how apathy, it's kind of
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  a different angle, it's related to complacency, but it's still
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  different how not feeling too comfortable, but too little and
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  too disengaged is also very dangerous.
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  So with that, let's go ahead and get started in verse 14 again.
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  It will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants
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  and entrusted his wealth to them to 1.
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  He gave 5 bags of gold to another 2 bags into another one
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  bag each according to his ability.
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  Then he went on his journey. The man who had received 5 bags
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  of gold win at once and put his money to work and gained 5 bags
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  more. So also the one with two bags of
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  gold gained 2 more, but the man who had received one bag went
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  off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
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  After a long time, the master of those servants returned and
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  settled accounts with them. The man who had received 5 bags
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  of gold brought the other five. Master, he said, you entrusted
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  me with 5 bags of gold. See, I've gained 5 more, his
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  master replied. Well done, good and faithful
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  servant. You have been faithful with a
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  few things. I will put you in charge of many
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  things. Come and share your master's
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  happiness. The man with two bags of gold
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  also came. Master, he said, you entrusted
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  me with two bags of gold. See, I have gained 2 more.
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  His master replied. Well done, good and faithful
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  servant, you have been faithful with a few things.
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  I will put you in charge of many things.
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  Come and share your master's happiness.
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  Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.
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  Master, he said, I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where
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  you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered
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  seed. So I was afraid and went out and
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  hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to
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  you, his master replied. You wicked lazy servant, So you
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  knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where where
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  I have not scattered seed. Well then you should have put my
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  money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned
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  I would have received it back with interest.
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  So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has
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  10 bags, for whoever has will be given more, and they will have
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  an abundance. Whoever does not have even what
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  they have will be taken from them and throw that worthless
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  serving outside into the darkness where there will be
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  weeping and gnashing of teeth. OK, so let's tackle this first,
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  a little cultural note. The word talent is also used
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  here for the loan money. And it was not just a skill, it
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  was a very large amount of money.
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  But biblically, this is representing any resource that
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  God has entrusted to us. So practically, that could
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  include your time, your own abilities and gifts, your
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  energy, your opportunities, the people in your life, your
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  relationships, or even the season that you're in.
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  And I believe that verse 15 is key.
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  It says the master gave to each servant according to his
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  ability. That means that no one was set
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  up to fail. He didn't give too much or too
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  little. He gave them exactly what they
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  could handle. And this is showing us that God
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  knows exactly what we need. Now there is, of course, a
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  difference between a need and a want.
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  We know that God is a good provider.
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  Philippians 419 says that He supplies all of our needs and we
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  also know that he's a good giver.
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  James 117 reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from
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  the Father above. Sometimes we might ask God for
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  things and it could be good things, good desires and not
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  understand why he says not yet and you don't get it right away.
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  But we have to remember only God can see above all search the
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  depths of our hearts, and He knows when our hearts are ripe
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  for that blessing and when the timing is perfect and aligned.
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  So this parable is also making something super clear.
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  This is not a competition y'all. What we have each been given is
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  not meant to be compared to the person next to you.
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  That's actually irrelevant. Romans 12 reminds us that we all
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  have different functions, We have different callings and
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  gifts, and that is on purpose because God has designated each
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  of us according to what he wants to use us for and ultimately
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  what we can handle. So I want us to notice the first
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  sermon. Scripture says he went to work
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  at once. That means he did not question
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  why he received what he did. He didn't compare it to the
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  person next to him. He did not.
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  He eagerly invested in what he was given to honor his master.
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  So I just want to ask you right now, are you in any way
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  questioning or doubting God because of what he's entrusted
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  to you? Possibly because of how quote UN
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  quote little or how much it might feel.
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  Or are you faithfully using what you have with a thankful and
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  hard working heart? What if God is preparing you for
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  more by actually starting you with less?
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  Think about how that's actually so kind, because if we always
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  received the biggest opportunity or that answered prayer right
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  away, it could destroy us if we were not fully anchored in Him
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  and ready for it. And remember that one day every
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  earthly thing fades. The only thing, the only one who
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  remains is God. And very often God teaches us in
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  the hidden, quiet places where there is no outward recognition
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  or approval from others, because it teaches us how to trust Him
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  and Him alone. So let's move on to diligence.
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  I was reading Proverbs to sleep last night and came across
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  Proverbs 21. Five.
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  It reads The plans of the diligent lead surely to
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  abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
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  This is showing us diligence does not come naturally.
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  It reflects strong character, faithfulness in the mundane
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  everyday activities. It shows that you trust God's
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  plan over your own timeline. It proves that your faith is
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  rooted in God. It's not in immediate results or
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  what He can give you. So I just want to encourage
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  y'all do your daily work out of love for God because y'all, we
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  would not have breath in our lungs, we would not be alive if
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  it weren't for Him. And everything that you have
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  right now is borrowed. We are caretakers, We're not
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  owners. Scripture says First Corinthians
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  619 through 20 that we are not our own.
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  We were bought with the price. God is more than worthy of our
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  diligence, of our resilience, no matter what kind of work that He
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  places in front of us. Now, let's take a quick look at
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  the third servant. So this man, he was only
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  thinking about himself. He wanted to be protected and he
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  had fear and he wanted to control and preserve what he
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  wanted. And God warns us about
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  selfishness. He says to flee selfish
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  ambition. Philippians 2-3.
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  And self centeredness can come from two places.
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  The first one, thinking too little of yourself.
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  So insecurity can be birthed from feeling unqualified or
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  unworthy of the task at hand or what God has given you, or
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  possibly thinking too highly of yourself.
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  So pride and arrogance, but both miss the point because you have
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  to believe and come to terms with the fact that God gave you
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  your assignment for a reason. This prompts us to live with
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  humble confidence. We get humility knowing that, as
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  Romans 1136 says, from him and through him and for Him are all
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  things, and we get confidence trusting that from Ephesians
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  210. We are His workmanship created
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  in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared.
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  He prepared in advance for us to do so we cannot make excuses to
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  avoid what God has appointed us to do.
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  And I just want you all to think about where you are right now,
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  specifically your city and state, your school, your job,
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  your friendships. God placed you, you specifically
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  there to reflect His glory through the way that you act and
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  love those around you. Y'all.
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  The bottom line is that God rewards faithfulness.
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  It flows from a willing heart, one that is submitted to His
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  Spirit and obedient. Those with no passion for God's
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  Kingdom work cannot expect the same reward as those who
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  actually steward it well. You're either utilizing what God
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  has given you or you're not. And I do just want to tag this
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  on at the end that if you're wondering what your gifts are,
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  that is not a bad place to be. There's not something wrong with
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  you. I went through a period of time
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  where I felt confused what exactly my specific gifts were.
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  But here's the amazing thing, you can ask God to reveal them.
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  That has been a constant prayer for me in the season that I'm
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  in. As I look ahead to what job and
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  career I want to be in, I've been asking God, Lord, show me
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  what my gifts and strengths are, what my passions are, and how to
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  use utilize them for your Kingdom.
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  You can also ask friends that know you super well what they
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  see in you. You can ask God for
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  opportunities to practice these things because he delights in
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  answering prayers like that. So with that, let's go ahead and
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  pray. God, thank you for being such a
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  wise and generous father. Thank you that nothing you give
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  us is accidental. Lord, would you forgive us for
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  spiritual apathy or comparison and making excuses that prohibit
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  us from being faithful with what You have given us?
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  Lord, may we steward what you've entrusted to us with diligence,
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  humility, confidence, and with joy.
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  May we trust Your timing, your wisdom, Your purposes.
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  God, make our hearts obedient and fully submitted to You.
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  We want our lives to bring you glory even in the ordinary
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  unseen places. God, we appreciate you so much
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  and we love you. We're so thankful and we want to
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  hear. Well done, my good and faithful
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  servant. We ask this all in your name,
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  Jesus. Amen.
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  OK well I hope y'all have a great rest of your day and I
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  will see y'all on the next podcast.