"God Trusted Me With It"

Disclaimer: Manuscript is not an exact match. Sometimes the Spirit gives me different words. These are the notes I preach from.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” 21 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” 23 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter 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 replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“God Trusted Me With It”

For many people today, the phrase “money is the root of all evil” gets thrown around often.

I remember hearing it while growing up and had even been told that it was biblical. I kind of assumed that the quote was a literal translation from the Bible. However, when I grew older and began to study the Bible more, I learned the importance of reading this phrase in context. Yes, those words are found in scripture, but not in the way they’re often used, and the implications of this have a lot to say about stewardship and how we view the earning and even spending of resources in the world.

1 Timothy 6:10 reads in full: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

This passage holds a much deeper meaning than simply saying money itself is evil. It warns us that a misappropriated excessive love or pursuit of wealth can draw us away from our true purpose in faith. If this lifestyle goes unchecked, we could end up causing harm to ourselves and in our relationships with others and even God. This teaching, like our entire discussion on stewardship, shouldn’t only apply to money but speaks to all gifts in our lives—reminding us that anything we possess holds the potential for both good and harm.

Stewardship becomes about learning to use our resources wisely and faithfully—not out of fear, but out of trust and gratitude as agents of God’s grace. Just as Zacchaeus’ misdeeds were highlighted in his relationship to Christ. He found new purpose in Christ, redirecting the wealth gained through corrupt means to reflect God’s love and justice. Even possibly changing the way he practiced vocation and life after his commitment.

As we grow deeper in a stewardship and incarnational mindset, we consider how we view what we have, and how we maintain, grow, and earn with all the gifts we’ve been blessed with. Called to live into the trust that God has placed in us by cultivating, multiplying, and sharing these gifts, not for selfish gain but for the greater good. This commitment to faithful stewardship means that we don’t squander what we’ve been given or gain through harmful means, as we saw in the story of Zacchaeus. When we orient our lives as agents of God’s grace, our gifts become instruments of blessing, and we are empowered to impact others for good.

John Wesley’s wisdom on money and resources provides a steady grounding when it comes to addressing stewardship.

In his sermon “On the Use of Money,” Wesley calls us to a responsible and faithful approach to financial stewardship. In his first major point in this sermon, he says,

“We ought to gain all we can gain, but this it is certain we ought not to do; we ought not to gain money at the expense of life, nor at the expense of our health.”

Speaking to a balanced life, he emphasized that we are to gain what we can through trust in God’s provision, without sacrificing our well-being or that of others. We are reminded that our resources—whether time, talent, or treasure—are blessings meant for good, growth, and generosity, used to bring glory to God and creation.

The scripture before us today, The Parable of the Talents, invites us to consider how we view and thereby use the resources God has entrusted to us.

A master prepares to leave on a journey, entrusting three servants with portions of his wealth: to one, he gives five talents; to another, two; and to the last, a single talent. Now, a single “talent” in biblical times was believed to be a substantial amount of money. In this parable, we can also think of it more broadly as a valuable resource—something precious that God has entrusted to us.

The master gives no specific instructions on what to do with these talents. Allowing each servant to make their own decisions. The first two servants put their gifts to work and double their value. The master, pleased with their efforts, expresses joy in how those gifts were used.

However, the third servant, when it’s his turn to account for the talent he received, says,

“Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:24-25)

The master’s reaction is stern and filled with disappointment over what the servant did with the gift from the master. Driven by fear, the servant squandered the opportunity to make a difference with the master’s gift. Fear held him back—the fear of losing what he had paralyzed him and caused him ultimately to lose the gift altogether. He buried it, wasting the opportunity entirely. The master wasn’t angry because the servant failed to double the talent; he was angry because the servant allowed fear of the master’s possible reactions to squander the opportunity.

How often do we treat gifts with this same fear?

How often do we allow fear to limit our potential to fulfill the God-given purpose in our life?

This kind of fear can make us see our gifts as things to hoard or hide, even feeling perhaps they are too insignificant or scarce to make a difference. When fear like this controls us, it tempts us to bury our gifts, sidelining potential and holding back from what God truly calls us to do and be. Even losing out on the opportunity for these gifts to grow and become a greater blessing by their growth.

But our calling is to live as courageous stewards—a life where we trust in the abundance of God’s provision and the purpose behind every gift, stepping out in faith instead of shrinking back in fear. This means there is purpose and intention on how we gain, spend, save, and give the resources we have in our lives.

The parable underscores a powerful truth:

God entrusts us with gifts, talents, and resources not to bury them in fear or control them for our own intent, but to let them grow in faith. To use them to make an impact across creation. God’s trust is meant to empower us as agents of grace, giving us courage to use these gifts to make a difference, to grow, and to bless others. Stewardship is about more than managing resources; it’s about a way of living that says, “I trust God enough to make the most out of what I’ve been given.”

So, what does this mean for us as we reflect deeper on our stewardship?

First, it means that our resources are blessings, not burdens. We’re called to live in trust, not fear. Our time, talents, and treasures, no matter how big or small we may perceive them to be, are gifts entrusted to us by God, not because we deserve them, but because God loves us and wants us to use them well. God wants us to take steps of faith, to grow what we’ve been given so that it can bless the world.

Secondly, It means that viewing our resources through the lens of faith unlocks their full potential. Fear says, “If I use this, I might lose it.” However, we see that in faith, to not use it can lead us to lose it as well. Faith calls us saying, “If I use this wisely, it can grow and help others.” Faith says what I have can be of benefit to the calling and purpose God has. Fear leads us to hoard our gifts, hold onto them in ways that are unhealthy, that end up hurting ourselves and community; faith encourages us to trust in God’s provision and let our gifts become a lasting blessing to ourselves and creation.

Finally, true stewardship challenges us to think of others. When we practice faithful stewardship, we’re not just enriching our own lives; we’re enhancing our communities, our churches, and our world. Just as God has poured out blessings on us, we are called to bless others in turn.

This parable invites us to consider that no matter how we perceive what we have, we remember that God has invested richly in each of us. Every one of us has something valuable to steward. Let’s trust that God has given us these gifts for a purpose, and we should use them with courage, gratitude, and joy. We should create a system of intentionality in our lives to ensure we are doing right by all the gifts we have. Instead of burying our talents, let’s put them to work, trusting that God’s blessings are meant to grow and bring good to the world. We are not called to waste away talents on ourselves, to squander away our time, or even to bury our money.

In this season, as we think about stewardship, may we remember that we are not just caretakers of what we have but active partners with God. To “gain all we can” is a calling from God to see everything in life as a blessing, and not be guided by fear of what may happen if we use it or invest it into the world. God invites us into the joy of faithful living. Let us embrace that invitation, using our gifts with courage, faith, and open hearts, for the glory of God and the good of all creation.

We continue to pray, “Lord, how are you transforming us into agents of your grace?”

Amen!