‘Trusted with More’

Daily Devotional – Wednesday, June 16, 2021

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” (Luke 19:26, NLT)

Why would we pour more resources into a hole? We wouldn’t! And isn’t that one of the points Jesus is making with his story about the talents. A king goes off to a faraway land and gives three of his servants varying amounts of resources to work with. When the king returns, he asks each to give an account of how they have used what they were given. The first two present the king with more than they had received, each doubling his investment. The third presents a dirty bag, recently retrieved from a hole. He is punished for his laziness, wrong attitude and lack of loyalty. His one talent is then given to the one who has ten.

It’s interesting how often we can read Scripture and become aware of a new thing…something we haven’t noticed before. This happened for me this morning, when I read again the other servants’ response to the king’s instruction to provide the servant who has ten talents with the additional one that had been buried, “But, master, he already has ten pounds” (19:25)! To which the king doesn’t even hesitate to respond, “Of course.” Why wouldn’t he give more to the one who has proven himself capable, faithful and loyal?

We, like the servants might be tempted to complain, “That’s not fair!” Why should the one with the most be given more? Because God is in the business of growing His Kingdom. When His children prove capable and responsible, why shouldn’t He entrust them with more? We might argue that the servant who had been given the one talent hadn’t received enough to do anything with; but the fact of the matter is that he didn’t even try. Whether he had received one, two or five, the results would likely not have been any different. It’s not the actual talents that make the difference, it’s how we choose to use them. Do we put the resources God has given us to full use for the building of His Kingdom or do we neglect what He provides as we pursue our own agendas?
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Want to be trusted with more resources from our heavenly Father? Be certain you are serving well with what you have been given now.
~ Pastor Jane