The Four Biblical Principles of Money Management, Part 4
Part 4 of 4: Faith Requires Action (part 1, part 2, part 3)
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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” 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? 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. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” —Matthew 25: 24-30
The wicked servant knew better, but he did nothing. Many of us know what we ought to do, but we disobey or delay. And frankly, to delay is to disobey. We have emotional faith and/or intellectual faith, but not active faith. We know, but . . .
We may know deep down what God would have us do, but we are so bombarded with worldly input, which seems to be acceptable, that we are paralyzed. We take no action because of the fear of making a mistake biblically or financially. Or we are frustrated and confused. We do only what we feel good about. Living by our feelings rather than “the truth” can be very dangerous. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).
As I have taught this parable over many years, I often pose the question to my audience: “Why did the master give the wicked servant’s talent to the one who already had ten?” Perhaps the slave who had originally been given five talents was better equipped to handle the extra one, perhaps he was more generous with the money he had been given, or perhaps the master was playing favorites. I have heard a lot of different answers over the years—some good and some not so good. What I tell my audiences is that we just don’t know the answer to this question. And the answer doesn’t matter. What matters is that the talents are the Master’s and He gets to choose who gets what and how much that person gets. It is not my job or your job to tell the Master what to do with His resources; it is only our job to be faithful to use what we have been given.
Faith & Finance Perspective:
Consider the question above posed by the author: “Why did the master give the wicked servant’s talent to the one who already had ten?” Was the 10-talent servant more worthy simply because he possessed more? Invested more? Risked more? Or was it because he was wholeheartedly committed to the Master and worked the hardest to honor his wishes? Prayerfully consider which of the three servants best represents how you would likely have responded to the Master’s invitation. As you do, be honest and non-condemning with yourself, seeking only to be a better steward tomorrow than you were today.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. —1 Timothy 6:17-19
