My Devotion

Good and faithful, or wicked and lazy?

By Liz Omondi | Email: timestodayke@ gmail.com | Image courtesy: creativesolutions.com

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:26-30

Any person who wants to be promoted to a higher position, or seeking a pay raise at any professional industry will do the best they can with their skills and abilities to win the favour of the appraiser. Knowing that you have put your best foot forward, you can boldly come before the presence of the appraiser and present your case to prove your worth and justify why you should get a promotion, or pay raise.

What if at the end of the year, you innocently stand before your boss expecting some reward along with the rest of your colleagues and the words you hear are, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You did nothing with what I gave you. You’re fired!’ Eish! That is too harsh!

Yet these ear piercing words got my brain grinding thoughts on what my Master and Lord Jesus Christ has given me to do faithfully as I await His return. What gifts, talents, or abilities am I putting to good use to expand His kingdom? Am I making excuses as to why I cannot faithfully serve Him before He soon returns? Am I at high risk of being called wicked and lazy? Ouch!

The Scripture in Matthew 25:26-30 describes a master who entrusted his property to three servants. He gave each talents, or

gold, according to their abilities and immediately the first two servants went and put to good use their money and each of them doubled their portions. Only the third one, who got one talent, went and hid his master’s money in a hole in the ground.

After a long time the master returned and settled accounts with the servants who had done extremely well. The master rewarded them by putting them in charge of many things because they were faithful we the few things they had been entrusted with. He affirmed them with the words, ‘well done, good and faithful servant’.

On the other hand, the servant who had one talent and dug a hole and hid his master’s money in the ground was punished. The one talent which he had been given was taken from him and given to the one who had ten talents. The master referred to this servant as wicked and lazy was fired.

From the look of things, Jesus Christ will be returning very soon. I am cranking my brain and thinking, of how I can immediately put to work the talents that God has given me and multiply them just like the first two faithful servants. I would never ever want to be called wicked and lazy. Neither would I want to be thrown out into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

May the LORD help me to be a good steward of everything, every gift, talent, resource, or whatever it may be, to bring Him glory and honour. May God strengthen me and fill me with His Holy Spirit to do the work He has called me to do as I await His return. I know that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit, that I can do that which He created me in Christ Jesus to do.