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PARABLES: Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

1. God has increase on His mind.

Isaiah 9:7
Deuteronomy 1:11
Deuteronomy 28:4
Job 8:7
Psalm 115:14
2 Corinthians 9:10
1Thessalonians 3:12

The kingdom of God is about increase; the natural expectation is growth.  

If God has increase on His mind - that’s what should be on our mind!  Increase is what should be in our expectation.

Don’t let life or a few setbacks steal your expectation of increase.

2. Fear will always shrink your world.

“And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.”   – Matthew 25:25

Don’t bury your talent. Not risking anything is the greatest risk of all.  
Fear makes you hoard and keeps you from trying. Fear will shrink your world - but faith and confidence will grow your world.

3. God doesn’t compare us to each other – neither should we.

Don’t underestimate what YOU have by overestimating what OTHER people have.

Focus on what is in your hands RIGHT NOW -  you can’t use what you USED to have or what you don’t have.

Don’t ever underestimate what you have - everyone has something.  What is in your hands today is the seed for your increase of tomorrow.

4. How we handle our money matters more than we think.

Jesus talked about money a lot.  If I talk about prayer, tithing, and serving - people who do these things rejoice. The only people who react negatively to these subjects are people who don’t, or won’t.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   - Matthew 6:21

The reason God requires our tithe is because He is asking for first place in our heart.

Luke 16:10-13

5. A wrong paradigm of God makes for bad decisions and bad behavior.

This parable gives us 2 unique perspectives on the character of God

“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ Matthew 25:24-25

If we are unaware of how gracious God is, and instead we think He is hard and demanding, we will be afraid to try.

God is not a socialist!  His ways are not to make everything fair and even.  The Bible shows us that God gives more to those who have and takes away from those who horde.

God blesses us to advance HIS cause, HIS church, HIS kingdom – not for our own purposes and desires for peace and comfort.

6. Responsibility handled well leads to greater opportunity.

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’"  - Matthew 25:21

It’s not: opportunity then responsibility. It’s: take responsibility with what you are given, and then that will lead to greater opportunity.

Have this attitude: “I can do that!”  You won’t have greater opportunity without embracing greater responsibility.

Some say, “promote me and then I’ll have a good attitude.” That is twisted. We need to have a good attitude and then we will get promoted.

Do good with what you have and God will give you more!