Investing What God Gave You

A number of years ago, we did something unusual. We gave away money at church.

Specifically, we handed out $100 bills to people — no strings attached — with one simple instruction:

“Use it for the kingdom of God.”

It could be anything.

Start a project.
Meet a need.
Multiply it.
Give it away.

It wasn’t about the amount — it was about activating what had been entrusted to you.

It was inspired by a book called The Kingdom Assignment — this idea that if we truly believed what we’ve been given is from God, we would hold it with open hands and active hearts.

Some people did amazing things with it.

Stories came back of generosity, creativity, partnerships, transformation.

But one conversation stuck with me.

A man came up to me months later and said, “I still have it.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant.

He said, “The $100 bill. I never did anything with it. I had so many ideas, but I got paralyzed by fear —

“What if I wasted it?
“What if I used it wrong?
“What if I let God down?

So he tucked it away in his drawer… and forgot about it.

No harm done, right?

But I couldn’t stop thinking about that drawer.

Because I think that drawer is where a lot of us keep what God has given us.

Not just our money — but our lives.

Our gifts.
Our stories.
Our experiences.
Our SHAPE.

Tucked away.
Untouched.
Unused.

Not because we don’t care. But because we’re afraid.

Or uncertain.
Or busy.
Or we just don’t know where to begin.

And Jesus actually tells a story about that kind of response.

A story about servants.
A story about trust.
A story about investment.
A story about what we do with what we’ve been given.

And that’s where we’re going today — as we wrap up this Made for More series and issue one final, loving challenge:

Don’t bury what God has entrusted to you.

There’s an odd tendency in human beings to think we can worm our way… or charm our way out of the consequences of our actions.

Anyone ever try to finesse a police officer out of a traffic ticket?

“My speedometer is broken.”
“I didn’t see the sign.”
Or if you’re the appropriate gender, you bat your big whatever color eyes you have.

Or have you ever tried to bluff your way with a lame excuse for being late?

Maybe to a teacher or your boss… or even the friend or family member you’re sitting next to right now?

This tendency to try to worm or charm our way out of the consequences of our actions starts very early in life.

A friend was telling me about a time when one of his children was being very squirrelly at dinner — clearly headed for trouble.

He warned this seven year old that if he didn’t settle down there would be serious consequences involving the availability of Mr. Playstation.

Then there was a spill… and the squirreliness just continued, and he said, “Okay, you know the consequences.”

Then this child got a strange gleam in his eye, pulled a dollar out of his pocket and said, “Maybe Mr. Washington can change your mind.”

That kid has some things to learn about Mr. Washington and his friends.

But there is one before whom we will all stand — every one of us.

This one is loving and holy and gracious and just, and he intends for us to understand that we really will give an account of our lives.

We will not be able to finesse our way around that throne. Mr. Washington will not change that mind.

To try to help human beings see what is really a quite serious truth which we tend to evade or deny because of this tendency that we all have, Jesus tells The Parable of the Talents.

Let me read the first couple verses from Matthew 25:

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. (Matthew 25:14–15)

Now, I want to focus today on a few themes or threads that run through this story. Each of them have something very important to teach us about God, about the master.

The first one is great news, and that is: God is the owner of the gift.

And God is amazingly generous!

In those days there were, of course, no corporations as we know them today… and therefore wealth was concentrated in just a few wealthy households.

The household in this story would have been one of these wealthy households.

The master gathers three of his servants around him.

Most likely given the wealth that he had there would have been many more, but he gathers three.

This extraordinary thing happens — it says in verse 14 he entrusted his property to them.

The implication pretty much being it was essentially all of his property.

Then Jesus talks about vast sums of money that the owner gives to his servants.

It’s difficult to translate this, but you might think of a talent as 15 years of a worker’s wages.

Now, in those days, people basically lived from day to day.

To have accumulated one year’s worth of wages was an enormous amount of wealth.

So the figures Jesus is throwing around here are staggering.

The master entrusts his wealth to these servants, and then he goes away.

So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

This is the chance these servants have to be able to exercise initiative… and develop their gifts… and rise to positions of greater responsibility if they do well.

This is an act of staggering generosity on the part of the master, and it’s a statement of confidence in the servants.

Each of the servants would have thought, “My master believes in me, and he trusts me.”

This also explains another little phrase in the story.

In verse 16, Jesus says:

The man who had received the five talents went at once… (Matthew 25:16)

Of course he did! This was the chance of a lifetime. He went out at once so the master wouldn’t have a chance to change his mind… so he wouldn’t lose this opportunity.

This is a story about how the God of the gift offers the chance of a lifetime.

And the first servant recognizes this. Look at verse 16:

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.

And the key phrase in this verse is “went at once.”

He responded at once.
He realized that he would be insane to let anything keep him away from this chance of a lifetime.

I want you to think for a moment about what this story is really about.

This is a story about the kingdom of God!

If you look back at verse 14, Matthew writes:

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey. (Matthew 25:14)

What does “it” mean?

“It” is referencing the kingdom of God.

Jesus comes and he says, “Now, this is it — the kingdom of God is now available to anyone and everyone.”

Ordinary human beings, even people that thought they didn’t have a chance in the world, can be part of the kingdom of God.

And people responded — sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes. They followed Jesus and they believed him and they said, “This is the chance of a lifetime!”

Think about the disciples.

They were selling everything they had, giving up everything and leaving behind mothers and fathers for this once in a lifetime opportunity to now live in the kingdom of God.

Jesus would say, “You can live in the care and protection and power and guidance of God.”

And the reality is, that offer is still open to you and me.

God, the giver of every gift, has entrusted you and me with his talents. The offer is still open. You and I may invest it in the kingdom of God.

As we interpret this parable, in the place of talent, I’d like you to simply think about your life.

God has given you everything. None of it belongs to you. You didn’t earn any of it.

As we’ve learned in this series, he’s given you:

Spiritual Gifts.
Passions.
Abilities.
A personality.
And experiences.

And some of us downplay those things because they don’t look like someone else’s.

We say:

“Oh, I’m just a good organizer.”
“I’m just a behind-the-scenes kind of person.”
“I like to help — but I’m not a ‘leader.’”

We put “just” in front of everything we do.

But there’s no “just” in the Master’s mind.

He entrusted his wealth — not randomly, not accidentally, but intentionally.

And the reality is, Jesus has given talents to us on loan. Everything we have belongs to the master.

The question is, what are you going to do with all that you have?

I mean, there are others who have come before us, who went off at once, and others will come after us.

But today, the question is — what are you going to do with what you have?

God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, has been very generous to us. And he wonders, “What are you going to do with what I have given to you?”

Notice, in the parable of the talents, there are no “no-talent” people in the story. There are people with varying numbers of talents, but there are no “no-talent” people in this story… and there are no “no-talent” people in this room.

I want to point out a practical implication right here, and that is — we must come to cherish and value the gifts God has given us.

It’s interesting that in this story, of the varying amounts of gifts, it’s the one talent man who buries his.

Maybe he thinks his talent is so small that he doesn’t count. Although we know to Jesus’ listeners even that one talent is an extraordinary gift.

Maybe he wishes that he was one of the other servants.

There’s this universal tendency to compare talents.

We compare ourselves and wish we had what belongs to someone else — their physical attractiveness or success or achievement or marriage or car or hair or body type or ministry or whatever.

A part of the lesson of this story is: I must ruthlessly refuse to compare my talents with anyone else because it will make me miserable.

What’s worse, if I spend my life wishing I had the talents that belong to someone else, I will discount and bury the unique treasure that God has given to only me.

So I must come to identify and develop and invest and cherish and celebrate the gifts that have been given to me…

And you need to do the same for the gifts that were given to you.

God gave us these gifts and he is very wise.

He knew exactly what he was doing when he created you.
He didn’t make any mistakes.
And he is well pleased that you exist with your own unique shape.

He has entrusted to you everything you need to fulfill the purpose for which you were created…

Because at the end of the day…

God will not ask you why you didn’t lead someone else’s life.
God will not ask you why you didn’t use someone else’s gifts.
God will not say, “What did you do with what you did not have?”
God will ask you, “What did you do with what you had?”

Now, this brings us to the second major idea in this story, and it’s the theme of accountability.

We are accountable to God for what we do with the gifts He gives.

In this story it’s very clear that the Master, although he has gone away for a long time, is coming back.

In verse 19, Jesus says:

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. (Matthew 25:19)

God, who is the giver of every gift, will be the one who settles accounts. He will balance the book.

Now, this is serious… but the writers of Scripture believed this was good news.

They longed for the day when God would come back and set things right — settling accounts with all the powers of this world.

And we understand this, don’t we?

In little ways there are times when we long for people to be held accountable for their actions when we don’t have the power to get them to do it.

Have you ever had to go through the maze of managed health care?

There was a time when I tore my pec muscle snowboarding. I had to go through more trips to different offices, labs and medical centers than I knew existed.

I had to fill out insurance paperwork that I couldn’t figure out.

I finally got the surgery set up for a month after the injury. It was set up at a certain location, but then the office called and said that the insurance doesn’t cover that location so they switched locations.

Then they called back and said the insurance covers that location and the doctor, but his assistant is not available at that location, so we would have to change locations and time.

They said we would be able to do the surgery on an outpatient basis, which sounded good until I found out that they also do heart transplants, lung removal and major brain surgery on an outpatient basis.

Have any of you ever had frustrations with medical care?

One of my favorite stories that has to do with medical care is about accountability in this field.

A doctor, a nurse, and the CEO of an HMO die. They all appear before the gates of heaven.

St. Peter says to the doctor, “Why should I let you in?” And the doctor says, “Well, I did the best I could. I didn’t save everyone, but I saved as many as I could.”

St. Peter says, “Okay, go on in.”

The nurse comes up and says, “Well, I had to deal with a lot of doctors and that was difficult, but I did the best I could and saved some.”

St. Peter says, “Okay, go on in.”

And the CEO of the HMO comes up and says, “Well, there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape, but I did the best I could.”

St. Peter said, “Okay, go on in… but I can only let you stay two days and then you have to leave.”

Here’s the deal: The writers of Scripture looked forward to this.

Everyone who ever sits in a situation where they feel like, “Man, I wish people were held accountable,” longs for this.

Jesus is saying the master is coming back.

And God is going to settle accounts with all the

CEOs and HMOs
and criminals and thieves
and presidents and political figures
and health care professionals and teachers
and plumbers and mechanics
and mothers and fathers
and you and me

God takes this very seriously. He takes this business of settling accounts very seriously.

He goes through it with the first servant and the second servant, and although the results are different, because they gave it their best, the reward is the same.

But then he gets to the third servant, and at this point things get kind of dark.

Let’s walk through this. Verse 24:

Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” (Matthew 25:24-25)

Now, you need to understand that the real issue here is the servant is attempting to evade accountability for his life.

Here’s what he’s saying:

“Don’t blame me. It’s your fault. The reason for my inactivity is rooted in my understanding of your character. That’s why I didn’t do anything.”

He’s just trying to avoid accountability.

And now there’s something of a surprise at this point. Numbers of New Testament scholars point this out.

The surprise is that the master in his response does not contradict the servant.

Here’s what the master does not say in Jesus’ story. The master does not say:

“Friends, you’re misunderstanding me. Whether you use your gift or waste your talent doesn’t really matter to me. I see this is very painful for you, and my primary goal is to spare you pain so I’m sorry I brought it up.”

The master doesn’t say that…

And it’s important for us to recognize this because sometimes people misunderstand the notion of God’s grace.

They mistake grace for the idea that God’s primary goal is to spare people pain.

Take a look at how the master responds. Verse 26:

You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? (Matthew 25:26)

You notice he just kind of lets the rip on his character pass.

He doesn’t remind the servant how generous he was in the first place. It’s kind of like he’s saying, “I’ll just let that one go.”

Then essentially what he says is this:

“You got this much right, it matters to me. Your life, what you do with what I gave you is a matter of supreme importance. It matters for you, and it matters for this world who desperately needs what God offers to be spread… It matters to me.”

Then he’s saying, “If that’s really what you thought, if you really thought that I was just this harshly demanding person, at least you should have done something. At least you could have invested the money and gotten interest. You could have done something.”

Now, here’s what Jesus is pointing out. This rationale of the third servant is really just a smokescreen. It’s not a serious reason for his inaction.

This guy is just trying to finesse his way out of a ticket.

But that will not happen. The master is saying, “You cannot finesse your way out of responsibility for your life, not even by claiming to have misunderstood me.”

This is the God of the settled account, and he cannot be finessed.

And every one of us, of course, will be responsible for our one and only life.

In this story the master calls everyone into a moment of accounting.

This master has quite high expectations. He has no intention of settling for mediocrity.

And you will be accountable for the stewardship of what the master has given you.

This is the teaching of this story — the God of the gift is also the God of the settled account.

If you think about it, who would want any other kind of master?

It’s interesting how Christians have wrestled with this story.

There was another gospel that was written in the second century… so it was not historically authentic, but this story is included in it.

It was called the Gospel of the Nazarene.

It’s the same story, only the writer of that book decided he would improve Jesus’ story.

He adds a phrase to this third servant — “And he squandered all his money on harlots and flute players.”

Apparently those were the two of the worst categories of people that the writer could think of.

You see, he just had to make this guy do something that everyone could see was a horrible thing.

But that’s not Jesus’ story.

Jesus says the servant is judged not for doing horribly bad things — not stealing or embezzling or defrauding — but for doing nothing.

Take a look again at verse 26.

You always want to notice with Jesus the adjectives he uses to describe people because they are well thought out.

What are the two words used to describe this servant?

You wicked, lazy servant! (Matthew 25:26)

We don’t use those two words together much anymore. We don’t use them much anymore period in our world.

Historically, laziness was taken so seriously by Christians that it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins.

Now-a-days, no one admits to that one.

If you listen to people interviewing for jobs, anytime someone is asked, “What are your primary weaknesses? What are your biggest flaws?”

What usually gets said?

“I work too hard. I just push myself too hard. I’m just too diligent and conscientious and too much of a perfectionist.”

When was the last time you heard of someone saying at an interview:

“My problem is I’m just too darn lazy. I can sit on a couch eating Ben and Jerry’s and watching TV all night long – that’s my problem.”

Jesus makes a very clear diagnosis about the human condition. This man’s problem is wickedness and laziness.

We may not use those words too often, but Jesus assures us that human beings are capable of them — I am and so are you — so we had better take them seriously.

This is what might be called — The story of the sin of unrealized potential.

The willful refusal to develop and use gifts of God for the glory of the giver — the willful refusal to choose risk and obedience, and to choose comfort and safety instead.

It’s the sin of unrealized potential.

It’s like the story of Will in the movie Good Will Hunting that I’m sure many of you are familiar with.

He’s a mathematical genius who wants to work construction with his buddies because he’s afraid of leaving what’s comfortable to go out and utilize his talent.

The one-talent guy says to the Master, “I knew that you are a hard man, and I was afraid.”

The key word there is — afraid.

I think the reason Jesus used this word is because most people want to use their talent.

Most of us want to grow and be used in our area of giftedness.

What holds us back is fear.

I’m afraid… I don’t really have the time.
I’m afraid… I won’t look important.
I’m afraid… I need more clarity before I start to serve.
I’m afraid… I won’t be needed or wanted.
I’m afraid… I’ll make a mess of things.
I’m afraid. I’m afraid. I’m afraid.

I was thinking about something this week. There are about 500 people that are a regular part of Blue Oaks each week.

What if all 500 of us had spiritual giftedness identified with great clarity
And not only identified, but developed with perseverance
And implemented with strength and boldness
And given to God with humility
And celebrated with joy

It would be something amazing!

You know, the master of this story had only two servants going on all cylinders. What if we gave him 500?

We can do that. The church is to be a place of realized potential.

Some of you have such amazing talents. You have resources of finances or gifts or abilities or experiences that could produce huge returns for God…

And maybe the sad reality is, you’re just sitting on them. They’re just buried.

Let’s not be the one talent guy at Blue Oaks! Let’s not bury the gifts God has given us.

Let’s follow the example of the servant in verse 16 who went out and put his resources to work.

I tell you, with no apologies, investing all you have in the kingdom of God is the greatest opportunity you will ever know.

Some of you may feel like from a human perspective what you have to offer doesn’t count much and will never be very visible or very dramatic.

If that’s the case, then I want to say to you —

We serve the God of the gift, and:

The God of the gift could take five fish and two loaves and feed 5000.
The God of the gift can take two coins from an impoverished widow and make it the lead gift of the whole campaign.
The God of the gift can turn water into wine.
The God of the gift can return sight to the blind.
The God of the gift can take 12 bumbling followers and change the world.

He is amazingly resourceful, the God we serve.

Alright, the last idea I want to point out in this story is this –

You will receive a reward for what you’ve done with your one and only life.

You and I will receive rewards for what we’ve done with our one and only lives.

So let’s live for that day when we stand before God and he says:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)

Think about standing before God someday and having God look at your life, look you in the eye and say, “Well done.”

What else do you want to live for?

He says, “Come and share your master’s happiness!”

If you invest your talents in the kingdom of God, if you make your life a kind of Kingdom Assignment, the reward is that you get to see God at work. And you get to partner with him.

You experience a spiritual adventure that will delight God, and that will start to change the world and bless people.

Sometimes the greatest Kingdom investments aren’t the ones that seem big or dramatic — they’re the ones that are faithful.

And one of the most powerful stories of faithfulness with limited resources is the story of the widow at Zarephath.

In 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah is sent by God to a widow during a time of extreme drought and famine.

This woman doesn’t have much. In fact, when Elijah finds her gathering sticks, she tells him:

“I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” (1 Kings 17:12)

Talk about a discouraging opening line.

But Elijah, filled with faith and obedience, tells her to go ahead and make him a small cake first — and then to make something for herself and her son.

It sounds like an audacious ask. But then he speaks this word from the Lord:

The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land. (1 Kings 17:14)

And here’s the amazing thing: she says yes.

She doesn’t have much — a little flour, a little oil, a few sticks, one meal left.

But she offers it in obedience.

And God multiplies it.

Day after day, the jar never runs out.

Her faithfulness with what little she had became a means of God’s provision, not just for her, but for her household and the prophet of God.

You may feel like you don’t have much to offer.

You may look around and think, “Well, I can’t sing. I’m not a teacher. I’m not wealthy. I’m not in a season of margin.”

But God doesn’t ask you to be impressive. He asks you to be faithful.

That small act of faith — that time you made a meal for someone, showed up to serve behind the scenes, used your technical knowledge to help someone, shared your story in vulnerability — you have no idea how God will multiply that.

That’s the power of a SHAPE surrendered to God: When we show up in obedience, he shows up in abundance.

God has always delighted in taking small, surrendered things and using them for supernatural impact.

One of the most memorable moments in the Gospels is the day Jesus feeds five thousand men — plus women and children — on a hillside with a little boy’s lunch.

We’re told:

Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (John 6:9)

It wasn’t much. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t enough by human standards.

But it was what he had. And he gave it.

That small act of sharing opened the way for a miracle.

Jesus takes the boy’s simple offering, gives thanks for it, multiplies it, and feeds the entire crowd — with leftovers.

This boy didn’t have a title.
He wasn’t on the teaching team.
He didn’t come with a resume.

But he gave what he had — and that was enough.

Some of you might think, “What could God do with my life? My SHAPE isn’t impressive. My story is still unfolding. I’ve made mistakes. I’m not the ‘up front’ person.”

But that’s exactly the kind of person God loves to use.

Jesus isn’t asking you to be impressive — he’s asking you to be available.

He’s not waiting for your perfection — he’s waiting for your participation.

That’s what SHAPE is all about. It’s not just knowing how God made you. It’s offering it back to him so he can use it however he wants.

When the boy gave up his lunch, it didn’t just feed one person.

It fed thousands.
It created awe and wonder.
It showed people what God’s Kingdom is like.

That’s what happens when you share your SHAPE. You don’t always see the ripple effects. You don’t always know the impact.

But in the hands of Jesus, your SHAPE can feed more people than you ever imagined.

You have a story that someone else needs to hear.
You have a gift that can meet someone’s need.
You have an ability that can bless this community.
You have a personality that makes people feel welcome.
You have a heart that sees what others don’t.

So don’t hold it back. Don’t tuck it in a drawer. Don’t wait until it feels big enough or safe enough.

Give it. Use it. Share it.

Because in God’s Kingdom, small offerings in faithful hands become sacred multiplication.

Jesus ends the parable of the talents with a piercing challenge — not just to recognize what we’ve been given, but to do something with it.

And I think that’s where this whole Made for More series ends: not in a classroom… but in your real life.

God made you on purpose.
He shaped you with purpose.
And now he invites you to live on purpose.

So what will you do with what he’s given you?

For some of you, this series has stirred something —

Maybe a longing.
Maybe some questions.
Maybe a new sense of courage.

You’re realizing that your life isn’t meant to sit in a drawer. It’s meant to be shared.

It’s time to stop hiding, or delaying, or burying what God has entrusted to you.

And I just want to say: you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to invest.

To take a step. To use your SHAPE in the places God has already planted you — your home, your school, your neighborhood, your church.

The greatest risk in the parable wasn’t failure. It was doing nothing.

So the question for you and me is:

When the Master returns and asks what you did with what he gave you — what do you want to be able to say?

Alright, let’s pray together as the worship team comes to lead us in a closing prayer.