SCRIPTURE:
' “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ '
Luke 19:20-23
OBSERVATION:
I’m not a gambler, so while the playful pepito games would go on at family parties I’d always be the one betting the minimum penny even if the cards dealt my way were favorable. Taking risks was never my m.o., as rarely would I jump into any situation or action that didn’t guarantee a return.
In a nutshell I would never go for the 2-point conversion if an extra point was the sure fire way to tie the game, or steal home to bring in the winning run.
APPLICATION:
So, my first thought when reading this parable was that the last servant did the right thing. He played it safe and made sure what the master entrusted him with was not lost while the other two gambled, and in my eyes we’re lucky to get a return.
And again, my pessimism is way off.
God has blessed me with a specific skill set, a talent, a “mina” if you will. And while I choose often to downplay it and even degrade it at times, I have seen fruit develop and bloom because of it. While my tendency is to neglect nurturing it, almost embarrassed to even have it, I am aware now that God doesn’t waste things. He doesn’t give in order for it to be stored away safely, wrapped away in a handkerchief. Like the master who left ten with his slaves, a return in excess is expected.
And in order to do that I need to again recalculate and recalibrate my thinking. In a word, I need to be more intentional with my mina. I need to hone my skill, educate my skill; all to be used more effectively and abundantly for the Kingdom.
I’ve been given a mina, and God trusts me to multiply it. I go about this by:
- Continually honing it and getting better. Practice more, learn more, study more, not for the sake of my skills advancement but for the cause of the anointing blessed upon me.
- Be a steward. The last slave was afraid of losing what wasn’t his and in the end paid poorly for his poor decision. While the mina isn’t mines to begin with, I have been asked to steward it wisely, and stewardship is responsible planning and management, not apathy.
- Multiply it. I do this by doing the above two and ensuring that a legacy is left behind. The greatest return is a return of legacy. Just like my mina was identified and nurtured, I likewise need to see beyond the successes of the present by not only investing in the future, but entrusting in those who are the future.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for blessing me with my mina. I strive not to squander it. Amen
