This is the final post in the series “7 Money Secrets from the Parable of the Talents”. See the first three posts in this series at the following links to get Money Secrets#1-#5 for personal money management.
Earlier 7 Money Secrets Series Links:
- 7 Money Secrets from the Parable of the Talents – a Series
- 7 Money Secrets from the Parable of the Talents – the Day of Reckoning
- 7 Money Secrets from the Parable of the Talents – the Rewards of Excellent Stewardship
To summarize so far, the First Five Money Secrets are as follows. Check out the links above to get the details.
1. It’s Not Your Money – You have been entrusted with God’s resources; it’s up to you to effectively manage them.
2. The Lord Chooses His Investors – You have been handpicked for your assignment by the Lord; you are to be trained and thoroughly equipped to do the job at hand.
3. The Growth Expectation – Things must not stay the same; God demands that His resources should grow and expand to facilitate a growing kingdom. That includes your personal and professional growth.
4. You Must Give an Account of your Resource Management Results – Don’t think that you are excused from accountability when it comes to handling your finances.
5. There are Rewards for Excellent Stewardship – You can look forward to a “Well done” from the Lord as you take responsibility for managing the resources you have and doing the best possible job.
In this post we will dive into the last two nuggets of truth, Money Secrets #6 and #7.
Money Secret#6: Bad Money Managers Will be Fired or Risk Shrinking Responsibility
In Matthew 25:24, 1-Talent or Protégée #3, as I call him in my paraphrase from the first series post, has just been called to task on the results of his assignment when his boss is back in town after a long absence.
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Picture this from Protégée #3’s viewpoint. He perceives that his boss per verse 25:24 is “a hard man”, reaping where he had not sown, and gathering where he had not scattered seed. I always wondered what that phrase meant, and had never bothered to look it up or ask the Lord’s guidance. Try this on…
We always think of Protégée #3 as the bad employee. What if you worked for a person who takes the labor of others for his own? Isn’t that what “reaping where you have not sown” actually means? Well wait a minute! Isn’t that what we do in corporations, sitting at our computers working away? Our managers reap the benefit of our labor. Their managers reap the benefit of their labor, and on up through the company. So, isn’t it the company owner who truly benefits from all his employees?
Each employee is rewarded for their labor with a salary. So, the boss wasn’t asking for anything but his due as true owner of Protégée #3’s portion. That would mean that Protégée #3 is taking a salary and refusing to work. [v.25:27] That would confirm that Protégée #3 is indeed a bad employee. Thought-provoking conjecture on my part, but, definitely interesting.
So, what is Protégée #3’s fate when his boss discovers that he has not even started his assignment? On top of losing his assignment, he’s fired: “cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness” [v. 25:30].
But, what also happens per verse 25:18 is Money Secret#7. Protégée #3’s assignment is given to the best money manager, the one who achieves the greatest increase with the resources and training he’s given: Protégée #1.
Money Secret#7: Excellent money managers gain greater responsibility.
Have you found yourself griping and complaining about what you don’t have? Have you been praying for more money, more increase, more promotion? How have you been managing the resources you already have, resources like the place you live, the work you do, the talents and skills you have? Your assignment is increase what you already have in order to be given more. Those are your God-given parameters. Protégée #1 got a promotion, that is, Protégée #3’s failed assignments because he managed what he had with excellence! Surprising?
Some Questions for you:
- As you look back over the last 5,10,25 years of your life do you see personal, professional, and relationship growth?
- What could you being doing differently to better manage your resources?
- What thinking has limited you in the past? And, what are you going to do about it?
- Did you accomplish the Lord’s assignment?
- What’s it going to take for you to get focused on the purpose God’s given you…His Mission for you?
- What is the main show stopper?
- How can you get past it?
We bury our talent when we chose not to learn how to better manage the Master’s resources, when we misunderstand the assignment, or mistrust the heart of the Master. How skilled are you at handling the resources God has given you? We all best get busy!
In a later post, I will talk about discovering God’s purpose for the resources He’s provided.
Please feel free to leave a comment about your experiences. What you’ve learned could help someone else.
