Eyes on the Prize
“‘The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.’”
Today’s Text: Matthew 25:14-30 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
The “worthless” servant who buried the bag of money in a hole was thrown “‘outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (verse 30). Basically, he was cast into hell.
It might be easy to think that the lesson of the parable is that we have to earn our way to heaven—that we have to work to stay out of hell. But that would not be right. The response of each of the servants was based on what they believed about the nature of the master. In other words, their responses were based upon their faith.
The two who gained more bags of gold did not question the character of their master. But they immediately put the master’s money to work, because that is what they were called to do. They were servants of the master, and so they belonged to him.
In the same way, we belong to Christ. That is literally what the word Christian means. He is our Master, and we are His servants. And that relationship is a matter of faith. If we do not believe that, we are not in a right relationship with Jesus, and we cannot claim to have “faith” in Him.
How many “bags of gold” has the Lord given me? He has given me my family, and He has given me my ministry.
Have I worked zealously and diligently to bear fruit for my Lord? Sometimes I have, and sometimes I haven’t.
This parable exhorts us to work to the best of our ability to bear much fruit for the glory of God (John 15:8). Interestingly enough, though, it also reveals a tremendous amount of grace on the part of our Lord too.
All that the “worthless” servant had to do was to deposit the money in a bank to gain a little bit of interest.
Even so, may I never be found trying to do the bare minimum for the kingdom of God. Rather, I have to keep my eyes on the prize, Jesus Christ, remembering that He will reward me according to whatever I can do to bear fruit for the glory of God.
Father, You desire faithfulness in me. In my faithfulness, I believe that You will bear fruit through me. Forgive me when I take for granted the salvation You have given me. I know that you have saved me so that I may bear fruit. Even now, grow me in my capacity Lord. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
