"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord. "
Colossians 3:23
DON'T BREAK YOUR NECK
Read It: Matthew 25:24-25
At first glance, this third servant in Jesus' parable doesn't look so bad. He didn't lose his master's money. He deposited it, even if it was in the ground. But what was this guy really doing? And what was so bad about it that, as we'll see tomorrow, his master lowered the boom on him? What this man was doing is what we call playing the ends against the middle. Here's how it works. He digs a hole and hides his master's money. Now when the master comes back, he will at least have his money back with no loss. But if something happens to the master and he never returns, this guy doesn't have to worry about the fact that he never went out and worked and invested his master's money wisely. Besides, the money wasn't in his name anyway. So even if he does make a big profit, he won't see it. Do you get the idea? The reason this is important for stewardship is that this is exactly what a lot of Christians do today. They are just spiritual tual enough that when Christ does come back, they can say, "Look what I did for You. I went to church most of the time; I threw in a few bucks; I was on this committee."
If for some reason the Master doesn't come back, they haven't broken their necks for Him. They play the ends against the middle, trying to have it both ways. But you can't play it safe and expect a big payoff in the end. Notice that this servant even tried to turn the focus of blame from himself self to his master. He says that if the master weren't so demanding, he wouldn't have done what he did. Do you know people who say that about God? "God's standards are too high. He expects too much. I'm afraid that if I come to Christ, He'll demand too much of me. I'll just stay here on the sidelines where it's safe." That's bad stewardship and even worse theology. Don't let anyone convince you that you can't do what God expects of you. In His power, you can! Think About It There are no sidelines in life. You're either in the game for Christ or for the Devil.
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