God’s Investment

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
Key Verse: Matthew 25:21

Whenever I purchase something at a store, I always question if it’s worth the sales price. I go back and forth about whether or not I actually need the item or if I something I currently own will suffice. There are very few times that I actually buy something for myself, but when I do you know that it will serve it’s intended purpose. In essence, I am trying to make sure it’s a good investment. In the parable of the bags of gold, God shows us the importance of the investment He makes on our lives. However, the great thing about His investment is that it is all rooted in His love.
First, we must understand the intentionality of the investment. God invests in each person in a different way (v.15). He is a God that will supply all of our needs while still giving us more blessings than we have room enough to receive. Life would be very bland if God blessed us with all the same things despite us having different needs as individuals. So instead, He sees us as individuals, responds accordingly, and send us on our way. From that point on, as we can see in the scriptures, it is up to us what we do with the investment.
Once we understand the intentionality, we should aspire to put God’s investment to work (v.16-17). God invests in us with the expectation that we will return unto Him more than what we started with. Let’s think about this utilizing the example of time. There are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a standard year. If you are good at math or are like me and use a calculator, you can see that there are 8760 hours in a year. If we subtract out daily recommended sleep and time for work, we are still left with quite a lot of time that we could be giving back to the one who made us. Giving God back time may not always mean opening up your Bible and studying the word. While that should be a key component of what you do with your time, understand that time should also be sent serving God’s people. If we plug the word time into verse 21, we can hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a little time; I will put you in charge of more time.” In other words, He can bless you with a longer life, if you are willing to spend the life you currently have doing His work.
Maybe you are paralyzed with fear about doing it wrong. So instead of using the time God gave you to do His work, your only focus is your own self-preservation (v.24). Self-care is important. However, you are not the only person on this Earth, and you cannot survive in this world alone. God wants to help you serve His people. His constant love for us was the reason behind His investment. He wants to use you to share that love with others so that they can be exposed to His glory. He doesn’t want you to get so caught up in your worldly existence that you forget that Earth is only a temporary home.
God wants us to see that the only way we can be blessed with more is if we are responsible for what He has already trusted us with (v. 29). It does not matter if you have all the time in the world or you barely have an hour a week to sacrifice. It’s just like the store purchase. God wants to ensure that those that He loves can be shown off to the world and ultimately point back to Him. He wants us to be proud of the relationship we have and know that He didn’t send His son to die just for fun but because He cares. I can’t think of a better way to say thank you Jesus for your investment besides leading others to Him.
Prayer: Lord thank you for this day. Thank you for being patient with me as I figure out how to acquire interest on your investments in my life. Lord, I want to give more of myself to you whether that is with my finances or with my time. I recognize that your investment in me was no mistake and that you are trusting me to do great things. Have your way in my life God and use me for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.