Don’t Waste His Grace
The late actor and performer Will Rogers once said, “If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con,' what is the opposite of Congress?” The fact is that the government is rarely known for being efficient and creative. It is often the exact opposite: wasteful and destructive. Not long ago, the Congressional Budget Office found that Congress provided $516 billion in appropriations for programs that had already expired. Over $300 billion was set aside for activities that expired decades ago, with the oldest having expired in 1980. Another report revealed that federal agencies were only using 12% of the space in their headquarters buildings, costing millions to maintain and furnish these mostly empty spaces.
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus told a parable about a master who entrusted his servants with different amounts of money. All of the servants, except one, doubled the money they received. One servant, however, did absolutely nothing with what he was given. When this was found out, the slothful servant was not only chastised for his laziness and negligence, but he lost all that had been given to him, and in the end, received eternal punishment. This parable has often been interpreted that Jesus was teaching about the importance of a believer growing in faith, being a faithful steward of the gospel, and being diligent in building up the kingdom of Christ.
In today’s society, to say that you are a Christian carries little weight. It has become a quaint token and nothing more. The reality is that a true Christian is a servant of Christ! They have been called to be faithful stewards in their lives. The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this, I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29 ESV) As a Christian, I have been given something far greater than financial wealth. I have the indwelling of the very Spirit of Christ. It is by the gifts and power of His Spirit that I can shine the gospel light in this dark world. If you read the final parable about the sheep and the goats, which Jesus gave in Matthew 25, you will see how much it complements the parable of the talents and how it hits home to what a true Christian should be doing. The question is simple: Are we being faithful to what has been entrusted to us?
