In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the Parable of the Three Servants, sometimes known as the Parable of the Talents. In this parable, there is a a man who gives his three servants five, two, and one bag of silver respectively. The first two servants invested the silver and went to work with what was given to them so that they could earn more. The last servant buried the master’s money. When the master returns, he praises the first two servants and scolds the last one: “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30, NIV).
He has given us earthly resources and spiritual gifts to be used to grow his Kingdom, but many of us bury those gifts in order to live a self-centered life. Our selfish lives will turn to dust, but our work in God’s Kingdom will last for eternity.
What have you been doing with what God has given you?
God hasn’t given us earthly resources and spiritual gifts in order to just go to college, get a degree, score a good job, move up the corporate ladder, get married, have kids, send our kids to nice schools, upgrade our cars, upgrade our house, and generally live a nice and comfortable life. While these things aren’t inherently bad, these things cannot be our purpose for living. They will all turn to dust in the end. What won’t turn to dust is the effort we put toward eternal work.
When we focus our short lives on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and making disciples of all nations, then everything we do has purpose. First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (NIV).
It can be sobering to think about the brevity of our lives, but it is even more terrifying to think of living a life that was completely pointless. The only way our lives can have purpose is if we find our purpose in giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Only then will our lives have an eternal impact.
Reflection/Discussion Question: Are you currently more focused on living for yourself or doing the work of the Lord?
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