“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’” (Luke 19:20–23, NIV84)

In our last devotion we talked about how a steward’s proper focus is not on himself, but on the Giver of the gifts and talents, to be used in His service. Two servants proved that concept to be true. Believe it. And put it into practice. They immediately began to put the Master’s money to work and it began to increase. The third servant did quite a different thing. He simply put the Master’s money away. Refused to use it! And so when the Master came back for an accounting, the servant had gained nothing. The servant said that he knew that the Master was a hard man who reaped what He did not sow. But he didn’t believe it! And because he didn’t believe it, he didn’t do anything with the Master’s money. The Master rightly condemned him with his own words. “If you really knew and believed that I was a Master who could reap where I did not sow, then you should have at least put My money in the bank and trusted it would draw interest.” But in fact, the servant didn’t really believe any of it. He simply went about living his own life while leaving his responsibilities to the Master on the back burner.

May God find us to be servants like the first two of whom the Master had an accounting. May we know, believe, and act as servants for Almighty God who has the ability to make all of our stewardship a positive working for His kingdom.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church