Money — Week 2 - Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Matthew 25:21
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.” (ESV)
One of my favorite pastimes is going to farm machinery auctions. I love looking at the tools and equipment; the people are usually friendly, and every once in a while I find a good deal. Last Black Friday, a large auction was happening a little farther away than I wanted to drive, so I joined online instead.
I’m a value-driven buyer. I like quality things, but I also like a deal. Usually I scan the listings, decide my max bid, and then watch everything sell for more than I’m willing to pay.
That day, a group of mini excavators came up. The first few sold for quite a bit of money, but the prices started dropping, so I decided to bid on one. I put in a small bid and was immediately outbid. I tried again on the next one and lost again. This happened through eight or ten excavators. Somewhere along the way, I started getting a little bolder because I had gotten used to being outbid.
Then came the last one.
I placed a bid that was higher than I had really intended to spend, but still lower than what the others had sold for.
Then… nothing.
No one else bid.
I sat there staring at the screen in horror because I had never actually intended to buy an excavator. And a few moments later, I was the winning bidder on a brand-new Chinese mini excavator.
That was when I had to tell my wife, who was sitting across from me in the living room, that we had just bought an excavator.
Fast forward to today. I’ve had that excavator for almost ten months now.
I have never used it.
I have only gotten it to run twice.
It just sits on my farm like a constant reminder of what bad decisions look like. It is also a very prominent reminder of what bad investments look like.
Everything you have has been entrusted to you by God.
The money you have was entrusted to you so that you could use it wisely, give generously, and benefit others. Your body was entrusted to you not simply to use or abuse however you want, but as a means of serving and glorifying Him. Your home can be used to welcome and care for people. Your abilities can be used to help others and point them toward Christ.
God has entrusted you with much. The fact that you’re reading this on a computer or phone is evidence that you have resources, abilities, and opportunities that many people throughout history never had.
We have two options.
We can acknowledge what we have been entrusted with and use it for His glory. We can use our money wisely. We can open our homes to others. We can take what God has entrusted to us and use it to its full potential.
Or, we can be like my mini excavator. A wasted investment. Something that sits there doing no good and never accomplishing the purpose for which it was obtained.
The question is what you will do with what He has entrusted to you.
Will you use it faithfully for Him?
Or will you let it sit unused?
APPLICATION
What has God entrusted to you that you aren’t using well? Your time? Your money? Your home? Your abilities? Identify one thing today and decide on one practical way to put it to use for God’s glory.
PRAYER
Ask God to show you ways you can use what you have for His glory. Ask Him to show you ways to make a difference in the life of your one more.