The man who went on a journey is a picture of Jesus who ascended to Heaven after His resurrection. The servants are His followers. The bags (talents) of gold represent any kind of resource we are given. The resources given out matched the ability of the servants so there could be no excuse for not using them well.

Two of the servants invested their resources wisely and doubled what had been given to them. They had been faithful in exercising judgment and initiative, and their reward was the opportunity to be faithful with even more resources.

The third man, who hid his bag of gold, refused to take any initiative or exercise any faithfulness in the use of the resource he had been given. The seriousness of his actions (or inaction) can be seen in the fact that the master called him a “wicked, lazy servant”.

As we await Christ’s return, we must remember that God rewards faithfulness and therefore make the most use of our time, abilities, money and other resources for the sake of His Kingdom.

So, how are you using the resources God has given you?