Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us a parable about a master who left home, leaving his three servants with three different amounts of money. With one servant he leaves five talents; by the time the master returns, the five talents were turned into ten. With another servant the master leaves two talents; this servant returns two more talents than he was entrusted. Even though they produced inequal amounts, the master tells them the same thing: “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” (vs. 21). With the last servant, the master entrusts only one talent. But the slave is afraid of the master, and chooses to hide the talent lest it be lost; thus, when the master returns, he has nothing to return but the one talent he was given. The master says, “‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents’” (vs. 26-28).

3 servants, 3 outcomes—but only 2 responses. Why does the master reward the second servant identically to the first, even though they returned different amounts? This parable illustrates that God measures input, not output. He isn’t concerned about how successful our ministry is, how much of the Bible we have memorized, or how much time we spend at church, if we are still holding back some part of ourselves that has yet to be surrendered to Him. God doesn’t give us a quota for what He wants us to achieve. He only requires that we give Him everything.

Sometimes we try to take our own resources and stretch them as far as possible to do some great thing for the Lord. We may very well be seeking to glorify God, but sometimes we try to be everything to everyone, forgetting that only Christ can be that. Regardless of personality, I believe every human being has an innate desire to be needed. And while we would never admit we want to be needed by God, our actions prove our longing to be responsible for His will being done.

In Genesis 28:22, Jacob promises: “‘This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.’” He doesn’t dictate what God should do with his sacrifice. He just gives his offering with open hands and an open heart, waiting for God to move. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between a desire to be used and a desire to be useful. We often repeat the prayer, “Lord, use me.” But maybe our prayer should more often be, “Lord, make me useful.” Let Him decide how and when He uses you—only be ready when He does.

But how do we become useful to God? I love what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:21: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” If your focus is on Christ and becoming sanctified to His image, you will not run out of opportunities to serve the Lord. Only let Him tear down your defenses and reveal to Him your weaknesses and inconsistencies. Quit crossing off the checklist of accomplishments you think will prove your faith, and resolve to surrender, keeping nothing for yourself. It’s not the trophies (even the spiritual ones) that our Father cares about. It’s the person He’s created you to be that He wants. He wants every particle that makes you who you are. To be filled by the Lord’s vision and passion, we must first empty ourselves.

Most of us know the story when Jesus fed the five thousand. The twelve grow more frantic as the crowds grow more hungry, helplessly trying to fix the situation on their own. As Christ’s disciples are trying to find some way of feeding the crowd, Andrew offers a simple comment: “‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?’” (John 6:9). This is such an interesting moment. Andrew completely doubts that anything can be done, yet he still offers what he has found. He doesn’t think it will work, but he brings it up anyway. What part of yourself have you kept back, doubtful that it will create the outcome you think it should? Part of humility is realizing that we can’t create a gameplan for God’s will. All we can give is all we are; the miracle and the result are in His court. Are you discouraged because your work for the Lord doesn’t seem “successful”? Have you hidden your life away, afraid you will mess something up? Simply surrender as a faithful steward, and let Christ multiply your fishes and loaves.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Romans 12:1