Buried Treasure

The Parable of the Talents 

(Matthew 25:14-30)

¹⁴ “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants^[a]and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.¹⁹ Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.^[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Lord detests buried treasure.

This parable isn’t just speaking about material treasure but spiritual treasure as well. Such as our spiritual gifts, talents, skills, words, dreams, and even our time and love. Bury any of these for long and just like the coins, they will tarnish and rust. And nothing can be gained or protected by such an act.

We are to be good stewards of everything God has given us, and that means investing and using what we have been blessed with so that we may bless others. In this way, we store up treasure in heaven that does not decay.

The honest truth is that there is no room for selfishness in heaven. What the Lord blesses us with isn’t for our benefit alone, but for the benefit of our brothers and sisters and those who will someday join our family. God loves all of us completely and uniquely and expects us to love each other the same way, even if we are imperfect at it.

Also, when God calls us to use a particular gift/blessing, He expects an immediate response from us. We can’t bury His commands, or postpone His call. For 2 John 1:6 says,

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

Our pastor’s kids were taught that when asked to do a chore, they were to do it “right away, all the way, and in a happy way.” They are older now, and yet they still can recite the phrase, and do so with honor. They are the most well behaved and happiest kids I know, and their relationship with their parents is something Dr. James Dobson would be proud of.

Obedience to God doesn’t look like a king commanding his slaves, but a father correcting and guiding his children. Trust in the Lord and His great love for you and understand what an honor it is to be entrusted with His gifts. We don’t have to do everything right and we don’t have to be the best, remember, the master was pleased with all the servants who multiplied His talents, equally.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I can’t help but think of all the things I have to be thankful for. Even amidst a difficult time, I can still praise God. He has given me much, and I must ask myself what I’ve really done with what He has entrusted me with. Maybe if we truly learned to steward what we have first, then God would open new doors and pour out more blessings on our lives. Maybe instead of just being thankful in word, I should prove it in action.

This is just a conviction I feel, a message I need to hear. What if most of our prayers are within our ability to answer? We have been given the tools in the form of the Word and the Holy Spirit. I believe that we are just learning to access what Jesus paid for on the cross. In other words, we have more to be thankful for than we are even aware of. If I could see what all God has given me, the list would never stop!

I don’t know what you are feeling this Thanksgiving, I don’t know what you are going through, maybe you are broken like me? Maybe we are all just broken vessels, but that’s ok. I’ve seen that it’s often the broken vessels that God trusts with His heart.

So I challenge you, get alone with God this week. Thank Him for everything He has blessed you with and then ask for a glimpse of the things you haven’t yet discovered. The things you didn’t know you had been given. Write it down, thank God for it even if you don’t yet know how to access it. To me, God had opened my eyes to all the times He had protected me when I wasn’t aware. And that is only just one glimpse…God is always speaking, what does He want to tell you?

God bless all of you and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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