Daily D – Matthew 25:24-27

by | Oct 14, 2023 | Daily D | 0 comments

David G Bowman Logo

Matthew 25:24-27  “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’” (NLT)

There is a big difference between risk aversion and laziness. 

Some people have such a conservative nature that they loathe losing something important by adding any measure of risk to increase the value of what they already have. This is caution, not laziness. 

Sloth, not the unhurried animal, is one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Catholic theology. It is characterized by habitual indolence. It is an object at rest determined to stay at rest. As the song says, it is the person who “ain’t got no motivation.”

The One-Share Employee demonstrates for us the Lazybones Persona. The Five-Share Employee “began to invest the money and earned five more,” (verse 16). The Two-Share Employee “went to work and earned two more,” (verse 17). 

Two of the three employees went to work and doubled what was entrusted to them. The other employee thought good enough was good enough. His effort consisted of A) digging a hole, B) dropping the bag of money in the hole, and C) covering up the hole. Then he took a few days off along with a well-deserved, in his mind, vacation and enjoyed the security of knowing he wasn’t losing a dime of his employer’s money.

The employer knew the abilities of his three employees. He distributed his wealth to them according to their abilities. He knew the Five-Share Employee was going to do something good. He knew the Two-Share Employee would perform similarly. He also knew the One-Share Employee was the least capable of the three. Why did he bother giving him anything at all?

The employer gave this employee an opportunity to turn his life around. Here was the chance for a fresh start. He could take the conservative route and at least place the money on deposit in the bank and earn simple interest. Even such a meager return would have been acceptable. Yet the One-Share Employee didn’t even live up to his limited capacity. He made things harder than they had to be. He lost everything. (See verses 28-30.)

Listen to Jesus as he gives us the bottom line on how to live a life of maximized life:

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away,” (verse 29).

Manage well what God entrusts to you and he will bless you with more to manage.

Do nothing with what God entrusts to you and he will take away what little you have left. 

Sloth is a deadly sin, isn’t it? It is also entirely preventable. Get up. Get moving. Manage what you have in a manner that honors God and serves others. God will increase your capacity and celebrate your success.

I will steward well what God places in my hands.

Our Father, I will return to you the first ten percent of all you entrust to me. I will use the skills and abilities you give me to earn all that I can. I will give all that I can so that others may have what they need. I will save all that I can so that I am not a burden on others. I will make wise spending decisions so that I get the best bang for the buck. Amen. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

          Church Unique Logo          Auxano Logo

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Matthew 1:20-21

Matthew 1:20, 21 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Daily D – Hebrews 6:15

Hebrews 6:15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

Daily D – Hebrews 4:15-16

Hebrews 4:15, 16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Daily D – Psalm 25:8

Psalm 25:8 The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

Daily D – Philemon 15, 16

Philemon 15, 16 For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave — as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.