WASTING WHAT GOD GAVE YOU

WASTING WHAT GOD GAVE YOU

THE FAITHFUL STEWARD

Key Scripture

📖 Matthew 25:14–30 (NKJV)

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling 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. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, '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.' He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' Then he who had received the one talent came and said, '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.' But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 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. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Introduction

Every one of us has been entrusted with something. Some have been given much—spiritual gifts, natural talents, financial resources, influential platforms, and strategic opportunities. Others have been given less by human measure—a modest income, a quiet personality, a behind-the-scenes role. But the question is not how much you have been given; the question is what you are doing with what you have been given. Are you investing it for the Kingdom, or are you burying it in the ground?

Jesus told a parable that is both an encouragement and a warning. It is the Parable of the Talents. A master entrusts his servants with varying amounts of wealth before going on a journey. Two servants invest and multiply what they received. One servant, out of fear and laziness, buries his talent and returns it without any increase. The master commends the faithful servants and rewards them with greater responsibility and joy. But the unfaithful servant is condemned—not for what he did, but for what he failed to do. He wasted what was given to him.

This teaching is for everyone who has ever felt like they have nothing to offer. It is for everyone who is afraid to step out in faith. It is for everyone who is sitting on their gifts, their resources, or their opportunities out of fear of failure. It is time to stop burying what God has given you. It is time to invest, to risk, and to multiply for the Kingdom. The Master is returning, and He will ask for an account. Will you hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant," or will you hear, "You wicked and lazy servant"? The choice is yours.

Biblical Truth

The Parable of the Talents is one of the most searching passages in all of Scripture. It is part of Jesus' Olivet Discourse, where He is teaching about His second coming and the final judgment. The parable is a picture of what it means to live faithfully while awaiting the Master's return.

The "talents" in the parable were not just abilities; they were a significant amount of money. A talent was approximately 6,000 denarii—about twenty years' wages for a laborer. This was a massive sum. The master entrusted his servants with enormous responsibility. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one—"to each according to his own ability." The master knew his servants. He knew their capacity. He gave them what they could handle. He did not expect the one with one talent to produce five; he expected faithfulness with what was given.

The two faithful servants immediately went and traded with what they received. They took a risk. They invested. They put the resources to work. And they produced a 100% return—doubling what they had been given. When the master returned, he did not commend them for their results alone; he commended them for their faithfulness. He said, "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." The reward was not just more responsibility; it was entering into the joy of the master—intimacy, celebration, and eternal reward.

The third servant had a different response. He said, "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." This servant had a distorted view of the master. He saw him as harsh, demanding, and unfair. His fear led to inaction. He buried the talent—not out of disobedience in the sense of rebellion, but out of passive disobedience. He did nothing. He wasted what was given to him.

The master's response is severe. He calls the servant "wicked and lazy." Wicked because his view of the master was slanderous. Lazy because he did nothing with what he had been given. The master then takes the talent and gives it to the one with ten. And he casts the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is a solemn warning. Wasting what God has given you has eternal consequences. It is not just a missed opportunity; it is a failure of stewardship that leads to judgment.

What We Often Get Wrong

The first and most common error is that we compare our talents to others. We look at the person with five talents and think, "I only have one. What difference can I make?" But the master does not compare servants. He commends each one based on their faithfulness with what they received. The servant with two talents received the exact same commendation as the one with five. It is not about how much you have; it is about what you do with what you have. Comparison is a trap that leads to either pride or despair. Neither is faithful stewardship.

Second, we believe that our talents are too small to matter. We say, "I'm not a preacher. I'm not a singer. I'm not a leader. I don't have much to offer." But God does not despise small beginnings. The widow's mite was small, but Jesus commended her. The boy's lunch was small, but it fed the multitudes. What you have is enough if you put it in the Master's hands. Do not despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10). Faithfulness with little leads to faithfulness with much.

Third, we let fear paralyze us. Like the unfaithful servant, we are afraid. We are afraid of failure. We are afraid of criticism. We are afraid of making a mistake. We are afraid of what others will think. We are afraid of not being good enough. But fear is not from God. Paul writes, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is the enemy of faith. When you act out of fear, you bury your talent. When you act out of faith, you invest it.

Fourth, we confuse safety with faithfulness. The unfaithful servant thought he was being safe by burying the talent. He was protecting the master's money. But the master did not want safety; he wanted fruitfulness. Faithfulness is not playing it safe; it is taking risks for the Kingdom. It is stepping out in faith, even when you cannot see the outcome. It is trusting that the Master will multiply your efforts. Playing it safe is often the most dangerous thing you can do.

Fifth, we believe that we have plenty of time. The master was gone "a long time" (Matthew 25:19). The servants did not know when he would return. The unfaithful servant likely thought he had plenty of time to dig up the talent and do something with it. But when the master returned, it was too late. We do not know when Christ will return. We do not know when our time on earth will end. We must be faithful today. We cannot afford to waste what God has given us.

Sixth, we forget that we will give an account. The master settled accounts with his servants. We too will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Paul writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). This is not a judgment for salvation; it is a judgment for rewards. But it is a serious reality. We will give an account for what we did with what God gave us.

God's Perspective

God views your talents as a trust, not a possession. Everything you have is on loan from Him. Your time, your money, your gifts, your opportunities—they are all His. You are a steward, not an owner. Stewards are accountable. Owners are not. When you view your life as stewardship, you live with purpose and intentionality. You invest for the Master's return.

God's perspective is that He has given to each according to their ability. He knows you. He knows your strengths, your weaknesses, and your capacity. He has not given you more than you can handle. He has equipped you for what He has called you to do. You are not expected to be someone else; you are expected to be you. Faithfulness is being the best version of you for the glory of God.

God sees your investment as the pathway to greater responsibility. The faithful servants were given more. They were made rulers over many things. When you are faithful with what God has given you, He entrusts you with more. This is the principle of multiplication. Faithfulness in the small leads to greater opportunities. Faithfulness in the present leads to greater influence in the future. Do not despise your current season; it is preparing you for your next season.

God's perspective is that fear-based inaction is wickedness. The unfaithful servant was not called "weak" or "struggling"; he was called "wicked and lazy." His inaction was a sin. When you know what God has called you to do and you refuse to do it, it is disobedience. James writes, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). Playing it safe is not a virtue; it is a vice.

God views the parable as a call to readiness. The Master is returning. He will settle accounts. The question is not "Are you ready?" but "Are you faithful?" Readiness is not passive waiting; it is active investing. It is living every day with an awareness of the Master's return and an urgency to use what He has given you for His Kingdom.

Practical Application

Identify Your Talents: Take an honest inventory of what God has given you. What are your spiritual gifts? Your natural abilities? Your resources? Your opportunities? Your influence? Your time? Write them down. Do not minimize what you have. Everything you have is from God. Recognize it as a trust.

Assess Your Investment: Look at your life and ask: Am I investing what I have for the Kingdom, or am I burying it? Are you using your gifts in your church, your community, and your workplace? Are you stewarding your resources for eternal purposes? Are you using your time for what matters most? Be honest with yourself.

Overcome Fear with Faith: Identify the fears that keep you from investing. Is it fear of failure? Fear of rejection? Fear of what others will think? Bring those fears to God. Ask Him to replace your fear with faith. Step out in obedience, even if you are afraid. Faith is not the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of it.

Start Small: You do not have to do everything at once. Start with what you have, where you are. If you have a gift of encouragement, start encouraging one person a day. If you have financial resources, start giving faithfully. If you have time, start serving in a small way. Faithfulness in small things leads to faithfulness in greater things.

Seek to Multiply: Do not just maintain what you have; seek to multiply it. Invest your gifts in others. Use your resources to advance the Gospel. Use your time to build the Kingdom. Look for opportunities to increase the return on what God has given you. Multiplication is the heart of faithful stewardship.

Live with Urgency: Do not live as if you have unlimited time. The Master is returning. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of opportunity. Do not put off what God is calling you to do. Seize the moment. Invest now. Eternity is at stake.

Ask Yourself

What has God entrusted to me that I am not using?

Am I letting fear keep me from stepping out in faith?

Am I investing my time, gifts, and resources for the Kingdom?

If the Master returned today, would I be ready to give an account?

What would it look like for me to be faithful with what I have?

Reflection

You have been entrusted with something. It may seem small to you, but it is not small to God. He gave it to you with purpose. He expects a return. The Master is not a harsh taskmaster; He is a generous Father who wants to see you flourish. He wants to say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant." He wants to welcome you into His joy. But that requires you to act. It requires you to step out in faith. It requires you to invest what you have been given. Do not bury your talent. Do not let fear hold you back. Do not waste what God has given you. Use it. Multiply it. And when the Master returns, you will hear those precious words: "Well done." Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Prayer

Father, I confess that I have not been a faithful steward of what You have given me. I have buried my talents out of fear, comparison, and laziness. Forgive me for wasting what You have entrusted to me. Open my eyes to see what You have given me—my gifts, my resources, my time, my opportunities. Give me the courage to step out in faith, to take risks for Your Kingdom, and to invest what I have for eternal purposes. Help me to overcome my fears and to trust that You will multiply my efforts. I want to hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I want to enter into Your joy. Help me to live with urgency, knowing that the Master is returning. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.

Declaration

I declare that I am a steward of all that God has given me. I will not bury my talents out of fear or laziness. I will invest my time, my gifts, and my resources for the Kingdom of God. I refuse to waste what God has entrusted to me. I will be faithful in small things, and God will entrust me with greater things. I will live with urgency, knowing that the Master is returning. I will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Concluding Scripture

📖 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NKJV)

"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."