Positioned For More

Read: Matthew 25:14-30

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

IN WORD

It hardly seems fair. Does Jesus really mean that the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer? Even though He isn’t actually talking about money, isn’t the very concept disconcerting to us? Our instinct is to share with everyone involved, even just a little—something to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. But Jesus widens the gap, and seems pleased to do so. Those who knew Him well enough to freely take the consequences upon themselves were rewarded, and the one who blamed the master’s attitude for his own fearful response was rebuked and punished. And this, suggests Jesus, is the Kingdom way.

What does that mean for us? First, it means that we need to know the heart of God and feel absolute freedom to invest His gifts wherever we can, even if we risk failure. But beyond that, it means that if we want promotion—to more responsibility, more privilege, more Kingdom fruit—we need to be faithful with what He has already given. That was the master’s basis for rewarding His servants with more; they had been faithful with the amounts they had in their hands. They were proven entities. They could be trusted.

Can you imagine the God of the universe declaring His trust in our faithfulness to steward His gifts well? That’s what He offers, and if we’re honest, it’s the assessment we long to hear. Perhaps we’ve given up on the possibility; we know how fickle we are. But it’s still there. If we long for a spiritual promotion and wonder why it lingers, perhaps this is the reason. It’s time to trust the heart of the King and invest what we’ve been given.

IN DEED

In God’s Kingdom, the amount of our gifts is not the issue; the amount of our faithfulness is. And we can begin with what we have now. Handling it well prompts greater responsibility and greater and greater reward, on and on as far as we are willing. The heart of the King makes this a safe venture. The heart of His servants makes it a rewarding one.

ADDITIONAL READING: Luke 16:10-12

He who is faithful over a few things is a lord of cities.

GEORGE MACDONALD