You Can’t Have Faith Without Faithfulness
Ask the 3 Servants.
Jesus tells us a parable about
a master and three servants.
The master understood his servants’ abilities,
he knew what they
were capable of.
The three servants probably did well
under the direct oversight of the master.
The time came for the master to go on a journey
and we are not sure how long he was gone.
Before the master left, he gave three of his servants
the responsibility of administrating his money.
You can see the enthusiasm of the first servant, he
“went at once and put
his money to work and gained five more.”
The second servant did the same and
doubled what was entrusted to him.
When the master came back
he said to these two servants.
‘Well done, good and
faithful servant!
You have been faithful
with a few things;
I will put you in
charge of many things.
Come and share your
master’s happiness!’
What made these two servants “faithful”?
They recognized the master’s objective.
They saw the responsibility as
a trust and were trustworthy.
They did not put off the responsibility
but “at once” got to work.
They did not let their own agenda interfere.
It also seems to be the standard
to double the master’s trust.
The third servant is quite different than
the first two and returns the money.
The master says, “'You
wicked, lazy servant!...
And throw that
worthless servant outside,
into the darkness,
where there will be
weeping and gnashing
of teeth.'”
The third servant hid the money.
Laziness seem to be the third servant’s problem.
If you have ever had a lazy person in the family or one
work for you, you know the problem is not only
what they don’t contribute but the time taken from
others to do what that person should have done.
Lazy people cost others.
Lazy people are not self-motivators.
Lazy people put off responsibility.
Lazy people when confronted come up with excuses…
“'I knew that you are
a hard man”
It is clear, lazy people are considered
“worthless” and “wicked” and should
not be a part of the “masters happiness”.
If we have faith we will be faithful.
We will strive to double everything
our Master entrust to us.
Maybe we should ask ourselves…
Is my Master’s will first in my life?
Is there anything I have been putting off?
The three servants would tell you the master
did not tell them a second time what or how.
He left them in charge.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,
who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave
five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each
according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had
received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained
five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the
man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid
his master's money.
19 "After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five
talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five
talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of
many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,'
he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of
many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came.
'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have
not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid
and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to
you.'
26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So
you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not
scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the
bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one
who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he
will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
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