And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:20-21
I don’t think, when anyone reads this parable, they really want to end up like the final servant: chastised by their master and cast out into outer darkness (v. 30). If you are a follower of Jesus you really do want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” But despite our desire to hear those words, we aren’t always sure how to get there.
Like the servants of the parable, you have been given something to invest. Maybe it’s the time you have available to you. It might be the talents and skills you’ve developed. It could be that you have a burning passion for justice or evangelism. Maybe it’s monetary resources, like in the parable. It could even be the people God has put in your life (family, friends, or neighbors) to influence and pour into. What you have been given may be little, it may be a lot, but it’s yours for a purpose. What have you been given to invest?
Pick one area where Jesus might be inviting you to invest what you’ve been given. How do you imagine this multiplying? Take some time to dream and seek God’s input. Now, what is one next step you can take to make that dream a reality and invest what you have been given? Make a plan to act on that step this week.
By Jessica Rust
