God made an investment in you. He intentionally invested potential within you and gives you time in this life, and he expects a return on that investment.
Is he getting it? What are you doing with what he has given you? How are you using what’s inside of you?
The truth is, we often short God on all he did for us. We belittle the enormous gift within us and dismiss all we could do and all we could be. Why is that? Why don’t we honor the gift?
I believe it’s because ultimately we’re scared. We fear failure. We fear judgment. We fear looking foolish. We fear screwing this thing up with the wrong choice and the wrong direction.
So here we are walking around as these prized masterpieces of God, carrying around a world of potential, living less than, little lives, while questioning our value and discounting our worth, missing the gift of time we’re in.
AND GOD ISN’T GETTING A RETURN ON HIS INVESTMENT.
Jesus tells a story in the bible about this exact thing. The story of the talents, or parable of the three servants. I will read from The Message translation so it we understand it on today’s terms.
Matthew 25: 14-30 MSG:
Jesus is describing the Kingdom of God and he says, “It’s like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.’
‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’”
Understand, girls, our master has given us something. What has he given you? An investment of time, talent and treasures. What are you doing with them? I ask because, sister, IT MATTERS. It matters what you do with what you have been given. The master will be returning and he will specifically ask you what you have done with what he invested in you.
He wants to trust you as his partner. But can he?
If God gives you 84 years of life, he will expect you to do a whole lot of living in that 84 years. What will you have to show for it?
What do you have to show for the years you’ve been given so far? How much living have you done? It’s easy to assume we will do more living in our later years and save up the anticipated returns for retirement. Ahhhhhh, don’t be so arrogant to assume you will be given that time.
I have a group of listeners who live in an assisted living facility in Missouri. A few years ago I went and visited them.