Take Care How You Build

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Opening Prayer

Sovereign Father, I trust in You. Without You, I cannot; without me, You will not. Once again, I surrender my love and loyalty to You.

Read MATTHEW 25:14-30

^[14] “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ^[15] To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ^[16] The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ^[17] So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ^[18] But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ^[19] “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ^[20] The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ ^[21] “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ^[22] “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ ^[23] “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ^[24] “Then the man who had received one bag of gold 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. ^[25] So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ^[26] “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? ^[27] 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. ^[28] “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ^[29] For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ^[30] And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Meditate

“Work as though he will not be coming for a 1,000 years. Be ready as if he should come today” (Martin Luther, 1483-1546). Wise words from the seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

Think Further

The actress Helena Bonham Carter has described her attitude to life: “We’re all going to die anyway: so what does it matter so long as you keep a sense of humor and have fun?” That’s today’s philosophy for many people. Jesus gives a very different perspective: live your life now in his service: responsibly, wholeheartedly, in the expectation that one day he will return. As Matthew 23-25 has reminded us, Christians might face the dangers of persecution, false prophets or international turmoil, but there is another danger that we face: apathy.

The story of the servants is familiar to us. They are entrusted with responsibilities of varying degrees and they are expected to act as good stewards, investing the resources wisely. When the Master returns, his condemnation is reserved for the servant who failed to understand his Master’s character and his purposes. He acted out of fear (25). There are those today who claim to be disciples of the Master but who don’t know him and who fail to invest their lives in his kingdom.

The passage is a direct call to wholehearted service. We must use our God-given gifts and opportunities for his purposes and his glory. One day we shall be tested. The quality of our building work will be assessed (1 Cor. 3:10-15), so we must take care how we build. Jesus’ language is heightened as he points to the inevitability of judgment (28-30). He could not be more direct about the consequences of failing to give our lives to him and his cause. Paul reminds us that each of us will give an account to God (Rom. 14:12).

Apply

Paul refers to our lives as buildings made of materials that will last and those that will be destroyed (1 Cor. 3:10-15). What aspects of your life need attention before that future judgment?

Closing prayer

Sovereign Lord, You have entrusted so much to me. Think Your thoughts through me and speak Your truth through my words.

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