And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Another servant comes returning the pound kept laid up unused, wrapped in a napkin and hidden away and buried in the earth. The pound remains the master's property and deposit, not the servant's own, lent for trading during a time of service, and it represents everything God entrusts including abilities, means, influence, opportunities, time, and every natural advantage. What is entrusted comes from the Lord and must be put to diligent, active, faithful use and traded upon to gain more, occupying till He comes, for merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return. The servants are called to account for what was entrusted, and Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use to see whether the capital was improved and returned with increase. Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation and loss of soul and eternal life, while faithfully using and improving it brings commendation, reward and blessing with glory to God.
Servant Keeps Pound Unused
Another comes forward returning the pound after keeping it laid up unused, wrapped in a napkin and hidden away and buried in the earth instead of trading with it. Keeping it stored away leaves it unproductive, while putting God-given ability to work makes it increase and can bring further talents. Hiding abilities and means and influence in the world instead of faithfully working with them until He comes is a fearful misuse that casts away the crown of life.
What was lent is not the servant's own property but remains the Master's deposit, entrusted for a time of service to be used so it would gain more. Any gain from trading depends on the Lord's capital, gives no ground for claiming personal merit or buying heaven, and all credit for the gain belongs to the Lord. The danger lies in keeping entrusted resources idle instead of making entrusted means productive for the Lord's work and accountable at the day of reckoning.
The servants are called to account for what was entrusted, and must return both the original amount and its increase. Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use made of every gift to see whether the capital was improved and returned to Him with increase, investigating use and testing fidelity. Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation, for mere profession of faith has no value and only love proved by works counts as genuine.
That concealment reflects an ungenerous, avaricious spirit with distrust and jealousy toward those serving God. By accusing the master of harshness the servant attributes his own unjust character to the master, his words show he does not know the Lord, and his failure robs God of what was given for service. His excuse does not make him innocent, for hiding what God entrusts, including wealth, rather than using it to advance God's work and save souls brings condemnation and loss of eternal life.
Keeping the Lord's resources idle is an abuse of the trust even when the amount is small, and God expects returns proportionate to gifts and circumstances. The entrusted goods belong to the master's interests and the steward is responsible for acting on the master's behalf, so using the trust for personal advantage, or failing to serve those interests, perverts that trust. Merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return, for each person is accountable according to known capacity and entrusted gifts are to be improved through use, with their increase bringing further responsibility.
There is no second probation and no later opportunity, for day by day and hour by hour people are building for the last great day. Christ has entrusted His money and goods to people and they are now trading on His capital, and at His coming He will reckon with them, require an account of what was done with what He gave, and expect results from everyone. The time to use these gifts for God's glory is now, without delay of a day or an hour, for when probation ends the account is fixed and the reward or punishment is proportionate to how the trust was used or abused.
What Pound Represents
The pound is everything God lends to people for use in His service, including abilities, means, influence, opportunities, time, education, health, strength, intellect, homes, land, money, offerings, learning, and every natural advantage. It is to be put to work to spread the light of truth to those in darkness and to turn people from error to truth, not laid away or preserved for self. Every possession, gift, and talent is a loan purchased by Christ's blood and suffering to secure willing service in saving souls, so that even the lowliest talent and humblest service becomes consecrated when exercised for the Master's glory. Responsibility corresponds to gifts received and known capacity, with greater endowments increasing and intensifying responsibility, and God requires both the amount entrusted and its increase whether great or small. Even one talent or a little gift has a useful place and is no excuse for doing nothing.
It particularly means money, houses, lands, and property lent by God to advance His work and build His kingdom. The servant remains accountable for both the original amount and its increase, and faithful stewards use their means in God's cause so it will bring increase when Christ comes. Hoarding means or leaving stewardship to others fails the trust, and every entrusted gift is sacred to be used faithfully rather than for self-glory or selfish purposes. The amount may differ from person to person, but even what seems small must be put to use.
It also means grace, power, light of truth, knowledge, spiritual advantages, and powers of body and mind given to be employed as a blessing to the world. The vital truths brought to mind by the Holy Spirit are to be shared and used to warn of Christ's return, with the Spirit making the word living and powerful through human effort rather than through learning or intelligence. Capacities of mental ability, money, and influence are to be used to the utmost and returned enlarged and improved, with each person to attain the highest possible usefulness by fully accepting and faithfully discharging the service and responsibilities God lays upon all. Those who have received spiritual advantages must develop their talents and not let ability and spirituality wither, for they will answer at the day of judgment. To fold the talent in a napkin and hide it in the earth, leaving powers unused or using them in a way that does not honor God, is fearful and casts away the crown of life.
The napkin is buried ability and neglected responsibility, hiding even a little talent in the world instead of using it for Christ. Servants are to uncover what is entrusted and put it to work for others and for salvation of souls rather than resolve to do as little as possible, knowing every talent will be required in the final reckoning. Wrapping the talent in a napkin includes placing God's means in the hands of people who disregard His truth. It includes spending entrusted resources on unnecessary things rather than the Lord's work, and diverting wealth to self-gratification, needless display, and extravagance while others need help and God's work needs support. It includes withholding self from taking burdens and bearing responsibilities while being willing to give means, though to obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice and without it the richest offerings are too meager. It includes tying up money in buildings where it cannot serve God's work or help others.
Keeping the Lord's pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work is embezzling God's goods and taking them away from His work and cause. Keeping entrusted capital idle or degrading it to selfish use, extravagance, misuse, or misapplication is robbery against God. God sees every such misappropriation of His money, for gold and silver and possessions are the Lord's.
Faithful Stewardship Required
What is entrusted comes from the Lord and must be put to diligent, active, faithful use and traded upon to gain more, occupying till He comes. Merely keeping the goods and opportunities unused is not faithful service, for the servant is to trade faithfully with the Lord's goods through service, obedience and development of Christian character, including helping and encouraging others and taking part in the work of salvation. This includes bringing tithes and giving offerings willingly and abundantly, and wisely investing the means God provides where the Spirit indicates. The minister's wife shares this responsibility to use her abilities earnestly and in cooperation with her husband to save souls, rather than leaving her gift unused.
Even one talent or a little gift must not be treated as reason to do nothing, for having only one talent does not excuse neglect. Small opportunities for serving God in little things must not be neglected, for nothing in God's work is insignificant and faithfulness with which the work is done decides each reward. A small gift used well is as faithful and as valuable in God's sight as five talents, and as larger gifts, without judging by comparison with another's greater endowment. The Lord judges faithfulness according to endowment and accepts service according to what a person has, commending diligent, honest work and increasing the gifts of those who trust Him and use them rightly.
Responsibility corresponds to gifts received and known capacity, with greater endowments increasing responsibility. God expects returns proportionate to gifts and circumstances, requiring both the entrusted amount and its increase, whether great or small, to be diligently used for His service, with Christ's grace enabling faithful work. Merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return, but entrusted gifts are to be improved through use, and their increase brings further responsibility. All are stewards and custodians of the Master's capital purchased by Christ's blood, bearing cares, burdens and responsibilities as workers together with God. Every possession, talent, time, gift, offering, learning and money is a loan from Christ, who purchased soul, body and spirit with His own blood and suffering to secure willing service in saving souls for whom He died. A servant means a worker, with no idlers in His vineyard, each committed to earnest, sacred work from the lowliest and most obscure to those in highest positions of trust, and responsibility for the work entrusted to each cannot be transferred to another.
The Lord supplies the capital and any gain depends on His deposit, so all credit belongs to Him with no ground for personal merit or buying heaven. The Spirit's power through human effort, not learning or intelligence, makes the word living, so praise belongs to God, and the vital truths brought to mind by the Holy Spirit are to be shared. Talents must be used to God's glory to increase usefulness and capability, for using them makes them increase while unused power is lost like seed that fails to spring up and loses power to germinate. Hiding God-given ability instead of exercising it leaves it unproductive and leaves little strength among those who profess the truth, because they do not exercise what God gave. To obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice, and talents increase only by using them as God tests His people, calling them to arise so faithful burden-bearers are not left alone and younger minds exercise their powers.
Imparting what is received brings further growth and increase, including further talents and wider influence, while failing to use what is received hinders usefulness. The gifts of those who honestly serve increase, but what is entrusted to one who fails to use it is taken away. Talents are sacred trusts to be traded upon to impart truth to others, so that those convinced and converted will in turn use their talents to impart to others. Those surrendered to God and constrained by Christ's love no longer conceal talents nor use them in the enemy's service, but employ them in God's service.
Reckoning Reward and Loss
At the day of reckoning the Owner requires His own with usury, demanding back both what was entrusted and its increase according to the capital committed. No one is compelled to give, yet to refuse connection with God, to refuse to give self to His service and trade upon His gifts, to fail in frugality and self-denial and forget that a return is required, is to be an unfaithful steward. That reckoning investigates how His goods, work, tithes, gifts and offerings were used and tests fidelity, while those who stand the test receive reward. Responsibility corresponds to gifts received, so every natural advantage is a talent to be diligently used, greater endowments bringing greater responsibility, with Christ's grace enabling faithful work. Folding the talent in a napkin and hiding it in the earth means taking powers of body and mind given as a blessing to the world and using them in a way that does not honor God, leaving them unused instead of employed to bring glory to the Giver.
Faithfully using and improving entrusted abilities, opportunities and means brings commendation, reward and blessing with glory to God. People are strictly judged for how they use their gifts, and reward corresponds to faithfulness, perseverance, effort and the work done. There is no second probation and no later opportunity, for day by day and hour by hour people build for the last great day, trading now on His capital of money and goods, and at His coming He reckons with them, expects results from everyone, and requires an account of what was done with what He gave. As responsible beings people work for time and eternity, making records in the books of heaven and preparing their own reward or punishment proportionate to the work done. Neglecting abilities and opportunities makes a servant unprofitable and answerable in judgment, while faithfully using and increasing gifts brings commendation. The gifts of those who honestly serve increase, but what was entrusted to one who fails to use it is taken away.
Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation, for Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use of every gift to see whether the capital was improved and returned with increase. Mere profession of faith has no value, and only love proved by works counts as genuine. The slothful servant with his one pound hoarded his Master's capital and did nothing with it and so lost his soul, for there are no idlers in the vineyard and each is committed to earnest, sacred work proportioned to varied capabilities, from the lowliest to the highest trust, including light of truth and all spiritual advantages. Hiding what God entrusts, including wealth, rather than using it to advance His work and save souls, and burying it in earthly investments or needless spending instead of putting it to use, brings condemnation and loss of eternal life, and excuse does not make the withholder innocent. A servant is a worker bearing cares, burdens and responsibilities, handling not his own goods but the Master's capital, and talents must be used to God's glory to increase usefulness, trading on the Lord's goods, improving in character and ability without trifling with time, privileges and opportunities, that corresponding increase with usury may be returned at the final account when the Lord reckons as Chief Shepherd and Judge who justifies by faith and judges by works, where faith works by love and purifies the soul to become His temple.
Hiding God-given abilities instead of using them is a fearful misuse that casts away the crown of life. Folding the talent in a napkin and hiding it in the world means capacities and powers of mental ability, money and influence are not used to the utmost nor returned enlarged and improved, though God claims service, lays responsibilities on everyone, and requires the highest possible usefulness. Life's grand mission is fulfilled only when those responsibilities are fully accepted and faithfully and conscientiously discharged. Keeping an entrusted talent wrapped up and hidden deprives the Master of its increase, for abilities, means and influence are to be put to work in His service, including turning people from error to truth, and those on probation will answer to the returning Master for how they used what was lent. Failure to use the entrusted gift through self-indulgence brings loss and robs God of what was given for service, reflecting an ungenerous, avaricious spirit with distrust and jealousy, while the inner life left unused becomes miserable and unsatisfied. Such neglect is incompatible with the work of Christ's disciples and with life in heaven, forfeits the eternal reward faithful stewardship could have gained, and leaves people unwarned and unsaved with grave guilt.
Keeping the Lord's pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work is embezzling God's goods and taking them away from His work and cause, and every such misappropriation of His money is seen. Gold and silver and possessions are the Lord's, and entrusted talents of means are to be used without human restriction to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need. God cannot and will not sanction and prosper work carried on by diverting means from His cause, and He will not prosper any man who diverts means into channels that bind it away from where need is greatest.
Practical Faithful Application
Entrusted means are to be made productive for the Lord's work by putting what comes from Him to diligent use, for all gain comes from His capital and glory belongs to Him, and this includes bringing tithes and giving offerings willingly and abundantly. Holding earthly treasure unused is the opposite of laying up treasure in heaven, so faithfulness requires dispensing what is lent in a wise and judicious manner while alive, with reason and ability, using means and influence with self-denial to support workers and advance truth rather than leaving until after death the giving that belongs to the steward to do now. Slothfulness in managing His goods and selfishly withholding what belongs to Him retards His work. Means must be used at once without delay of a day or an hour to relieve suffering institutions, with each looking over affairs to see what can be done and those in responsible positions setting example by laboring more earnestly for the institutions than for their own property, for rightly employing property has eternal consequences and freely giving of His own is placing money in the hands of Christ in the person of afflicted brethren, and when believers do their part angels are commissioned to help in time of need.
Faithfulness forbids burying resources in earthly investments or needless spending, for gifts are entrusted for use in His work and those who withhold means from advancing His cause face condemnation and loss of eternal life. Means must not be hoarded nor stewardship left to others, but resources put to work for His cause and the saving of souls so there will be increase at His coming. Giving up stewardship to another can prevent doing the good one is responsible to do, since each is accountable for using entrusted abilities and means in the Lord's work. Tying up money in buildings where it cannot serve His work or help others is like wrapping the pound in a napkin and burying it.
Stewardship includes wisely investing where the Spirit indicates, using homes, land, money and every ability for good and for advancing His work, for even one talent has a useful place and each is held responsible for what is entrusted. Keeping the pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work takes it away from His work and cause, and every such misappropriation is seen. Gold and silver and possessions are His, and entrusted talents of means are to be used without human restriction to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need, for work carried on by diverting means from His cause cannot be sanctioned and prospered, nor will any be prospered who diverts means into channels that bind it away from where need is greatest.
Keeping the gift for self fails the responsibility it brings and reveals whether one loves the gift more than the Giver. To keep the pound laid up and hide it is to withhold self from taking burdens and bearing responsibilities while being willing to give means, yet to obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice, and without it the richest offerings are too meager for the Possessor of all things. Abilities and resources of mind, money and influence are to be used to spread light of truth to those in darkness, not hidden or preserved for self. Knowledge and gifts, even when small, must not be hidden but faithfully put to work, with vital truths brought by the Holy Spirit shared, for the Spirit makes the word a living powerful influence through human effort, its power coming from God working with people not from learning or intelligence, so praise belongs to God. Grace, power and ability left unused must be employed in sharing truth and warning of Christ's return, in active service especially in carrying the gospel to those who have not heard, with cooperation with God while the Spirit works through effort rather than hiding through selfishness or ease.
Talents are sacred trusts to be traded upon to impart truth so those convinced and converted will in turn impart to others. Failing to represent truth through life and character fails to testify to grace and reformation or to exalt the law, for what is entrusted is given to be used in earnest service so it will gain more. This work belongs not to ministers alone but to all who profess truth, who must be taught to minister effectually so hundreds become diligent laborers whose used talents develop men for trust and influence and accomplish great good, instead of binding talents in a napkin and burying them as idlers, slothful members and sleeping churches doing nothing while souls perish without Christ. The minister's wife is therefore responsible to use her abilities earnestly in cooperation with her husband to save souls rather than leaving her gift unused. Every gift is to be appreciated and put to best use with mind, soul and strength controlled by the Spirit in harmony with appointed agencies in molding character after the divine likeness, and parents are to come for forgiving grace, healing power and capability to rule households aright and train children to be tidy, useful and sharing home burdens, for God is robbed when gifts are left unemployed and disconnected from Him.
Excuses that bury talents must be put away, for wrapping the pound in a napkin pictures failure to use abilities in service to save souls. Talents must not be bound in a napkin and hidden but uncovered and used where best suited with increase sought, since every talent will be required in the final reckoning and each is accountable for what is lent. Keeping the pound laid up is offering leaves when fruit is searched for, despite compassion, mercy and long-suffering, and the remedy is to trust and look with confidence. Resolving to do as little as possible is buried ability and neglected responsibility.
The lesson demands mental and moral improvement, growing in grace and knowledge, for disciples cannot remain slothful but must watch for opportunity to represent truth and win souls, and the more talents are exercised the greater the increase of capability, while unused power is lost like seed failing to spring up and losing power to germinate. Capacities of mental ability, money and influence are to be used to the utmost and returned enlarged and improved, with highest usefulness attained and life's mission fulfilled only when responsibilities are fully accepted and faithfully discharged, for hiding the talent casts away the crown of life. The talent is not to be hidden but used with care, neatness, exactitude and economy in planting, building and daily details, for little things become great by attention given and worth is determined by faithfulness in littles, since every consecrated talent will be used for building for time and eternity. Learning in daily details to build for time and eternity leads to having written in heaven, Ye are complete in Him.
A faithful steward works in co-partnership with God with frugality and self-denial with the one object of giving the message not only in the neighborhood but in regions beyond, cherishing love of truth and sanctification that banishes avarice, overreaching and dishonesty, for property, work, tithes, gifts and offerings are His and He will require His own with usury, and to refuse to connect with Him, to refuse self to service and trade upon entrusted gifts, to fail in frugality and self-denial and forget required return, is to be unfaithful and lose blessing on what was entrusted. Those surrendered to God, constrained by Christ's love through perfection of His principles and filled with desire for true piety, no longer conceal talents nor use them in the enemy's service but employ them in God's service. Those who received great light must not tie hands fast but move guardedly and put what is given to active use because of His claims upon them. Talents increase only by using them and God tests His people in this, calling them to arise to the work so faithful burden-bearers are not left alone and younger minds exercise powers in the vineyard.
Investing self and means in land while neglecting spiritual interests and the salvation of others is burying the talent and wasting what is entrusted rather than using it in faithful service, as seen in Edson. Keeping the talent wrapped up until spiritually weak, as seen in Lindsay, shows the danger of leaving a gift unused. Humility remains a precious virtue, yet it does not mean underrating self or holding an unhelpfully low opinion of self.
Another servant comes returning the pound kept laid up unused, wrapped in a napkin and hidden away and buried in the earth. The pound remains the master's property and deposit, not the servant's own, lent for trading during a time of service, and it represents everything God entrusts including abilities, means, influence, opportunities, time, and every natural advantage. What is entrusted comes from the Lord and must be put to diligent, active, faithful use and traded upon to gain more, occupying till He comes, for merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return. The servants are called to account for what was entrusted, and Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use to see whether the capital was improved and returned with increase. Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation and loss of soul and eternal life, while faithfully using and improving it brings commendation, reward and blessing with glory to God.
Servant Keeps Pound Unused
Another comes forward returning the pound after keeping it laid up unused, wrapped in a napkin and hidden away and buried in the earth instead of trading with it. Keeping it stored away leaves it unproductive, while putting God-given ability to work makes it increase and can bring further talents. Hiding abilities and means and influence in the world instead of faithfully working with them until He comes is a fearful misuse that casts away the crown of life.
What was lent is not the servant's own property but remains the Master's deposit, entrusted for a time of service to be used so it would gain more. Any gain from trading depends on the Lord's capital, gives no ground for claiming personal merit or buying heaven, and all credit for the gain belongs to the Lord. The danger lies in keeping entrusted resources idle instead of making entrusted means productive for the Lord's work and accountable at the day of reckoning.
The servants are called to account for what was entrusted, and must return both the original amount and its increase. Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use made of every gift to see whether the capital was improved and returned to Him with increase, investigating use and testing fidelity. Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation, for mere profession of faith has no value and only love proved by works counts as genuine.
That concealment reflects an ungenerous, avaricious spirit with distrust and jealousy toward those serving God. By accusing the master of harshness the servant attributes his own unjust character to the master, his words show he does not know the Lord, and his failure robs God of what was given for service. His excuse does not make him innocent, for hiding what God entrusts, including wealth, rather than using it to advance God's work and save souls brings condemnation and loss of eternal life.
Keeping the Lord's resources idle is an abuse of the trust even when the amount is small, and God expects returns proportionate to gifts and circumstances. The entrusted goods belong to the master's interests and the steward is responsible for acting on the master's behalf, so using the trust for personal advantage, or failing to serve those interests, perverts that trust. Merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return, for each person is accountable according to known capacity and entrusted gifts are to be improved through use, with their increase bringing further responsibility.
There is no second probation and no later opportunity, for day by day and hour by hour people are building for the last great day. Christ has entrusted His money and goods to people and they are now trading on His capital, and at His coming He will reckon with them, require an account of what was done with what He gave, and expect results from everyone. The time to use these gifts for God's glory is now, without delay of a day or an hour, for when probation ends the account is fixed and the reward or punishment is proportionate to how the trust was used or abused.
What Pound Represents
The pound is everything God lends to people for use in His service, including abilities, means, influence, opportunities, time, education, health, strength, intellect, homes, land, money, offerings, learning, and every natural advantage. It is to be put to work to spread the light of truth to those in darkness and to turn people from error to truth, not laid away or preserved for self. Every possession, gift, and talent is a loan purchased by Christ's blood and suffering to secure willing service in saving souls, so that even the lowliest talent and humblest service becomes consecrated when exercised for the Master's glory. Responsibility corresponds to gifts received and known capacity, with greater endowments increasing and intensifying responsibility, and God requires both the amount entrusted and its increase whether great or small. Even one talent or a little gift has a useful place and is no excuse for doing nothing.
It particularly means money, houses, lands, and property lent by God to advance His work and build His kingdom. The servant remains accountable for both the original amount and its increase, and faithful stewards use their means in God's cause so it will bring increase when Christ comes. Hoarding means or leaving stewardship to others fails the trust, and every entrusted gift is sacred to be used faithfully rather than for self-glory or selfish purposes. The amount may differ from person to person, but even what seems small must be put to use.
It also means grace, power, light of truth, knowledge, spiritual advantages, and powers of body and mind given to be employed as a blessing to the world. The vital truths brought to mind by the Holy Spirit are to be shared and used to warn of Christ's return, with the Spirit making the word living and powerful through human effort rather than through learning or intelligence. Capacities of mental ability, money, and influence are to be used to the utmost and returned enlarged and improved, with each person to attain the highest possible usefulness by fully accepting and faithfully discharging the service and responsibilities God lays upon all. Those who have received spiritual advantages must develop their talents and not let ability and spirituality wither, for they will answer at the day of judgment. To fold the talent in a napkin and hide it in the earth, leaving powers unused or using them in a way that does not honor God, is fearful and casts away the crown of life.
The napkin is buried ability and neglected responsibility, hiding even a little talent in the world instead of using it for Christ. Servants are to uncover what is entrusted and put it to work for others and for salvation of souls rather than resolve to do as little as possible, knowing every talent will be required in the final reckoning. Wrapping the talent in a napkin includes placing God's means in the hands of people who disregard His truth. It includes spending entrusted resources on unnecessary things rather than the Lord's work, and diverting wealth to self-gratification, needless display, and extravagance while others need help and God's work needs support. It includes withholding self from taking burdens and bearing responsibilities while being willing to give means, though to obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice and without it the richest offerings are too meager. It includes tying up money in buildings where it cannot serve God's work or help others.
Keeping the Lord's pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work is embezzling God's goods and taking them away from His work and cause. Keeping entrusted capital idle or degrading it to selfish use, extravagance, misuse, or misapplication is robbery against God. God sees every such misappropriation of His money, for gold and silver and possessions are the Lord's.
Faithful Stewardship Required
What is entrusted comes from the Lord and must be put to diligent, active, faithful use and traded upon to gain more, occupying till He comes. Merely keeping the goods and opportunities unused is not faithful service, for the servant is to trade faithfully with the Lord's goods through service, obedience and development of Christian character, including helping and encouraging others and taking part in the work of salvation. This includes bringing tithes and giving offerings willingly and abundantly, and wisely investing the means God provides where the Spirit indicates. The minister's wife shares this responsibility to use her abilities earnestly and in cooperation with her husband to save souls, rather than leaving her gift unused.
Even one talent or a little gift must not be treated as reason to do nothing, for having only one talent does not excuse neglect. Small opportunities for serving God in little things must not be neglected, for nothing in God's work is insignificant and faithfulness with which the work is done decides each reward. A small gift used well is as faithful and as valuable in God's sight as five talents, and as larger gifts, without judging by comparison with another's greater endowment. The Lord judges faithfulness according to endowment and accepts service according to what a person has, commending diligent, honest work and increasing the gifts of those who trust Him and use them rightly.
Responsibility corresponds to gifts received and known capacity, with greater endowments increasing responsibility. God expects returns proportionate to gifts and circumstances, requiring both the entrusted amount and its increase, whether great or small, to be diligently used for His service, with Christ's grace enabling faithful work. Merely preserving what was given is not an acceptable return, but entrusted gifts are to be improved through use, and their increase brings further responsibility. All are stewards and custodians of the Master's capital purchased by Christ's blood, bearing cares, burdens and responsibilities as workers together with God. Every possession, talent, time, gift, offering, learning and money is a loan from Christ, who purchased soul, body and spirit with His own blood and suffering to secure willing service in saving souls for whom He died. A servant means a worker, with no idlers in His vineyard, each committed to earnest, sacred work from the lowliest and most obscure to those in highest positions of trust, and responsibility for the work entrusted to each cannot be transferred to another.
The Lord supplies the capital and any gain depends on His deposit, so all credit belongs to Him with no ground for personal merit or buying heaven. The Spirit's power through human effort, not learning or intelligence, makes the word living, so praise belongs to God, and the vital truths brought to mind by the Holy Spirit are to be shared. Talents must be used to God's glory to increase usefulness and capability, for using them makes them increase while unused power is lost like seed that fails to spring up and loses power to germinate. Hiding God-given ability instead of exercising it leaves it unproductive and leaves little strength among those who profess the truth, because they do not exercise what God gave. To obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice, and talents increase only by using them as God tests His people, calling them to arise so faithful burden-bearers are not left alone and younger minds exercise their powers.
Imparting what is received brings further growth and increase, including further talents and wider influence, while failing to use what is received hinders usefulness. The gifts of those who honestly serve increase, but what is entrusted to one who fails to use it is taken away. Talents are sacred trusts to be traded upon to impart truth to others, so that those convinced and converted will in turn use their talents to impart to others. Those surrendered to God and constrained by Christ's love no longer conceal talents nor use them in the enemy's service, but employ them in God's service.
Reckoning Reward and Loss
At the day of reckoning the Owner requires His own with usury, demanding back both what was entrusted and its increase according to the capital committed. No one is compelled to give, yet to refuse connection with God, to refuse to give self to His service and trade upon His gifts, to fail in frugality and self-denial and forget that a return is required, is to be an unfaithful steward. That reckoning investigates how His goods, work, tithes, gifts and offerings were used and tests fidelity, while those who stand the test receive reward. Responsibility corresponds to gifts received, so every natural advantage is a talent to be diligently used, greater endowments bringing greater responsibility, with Christ's grace enabling faithful work. Folding the talent in a napkin and hiding it in the earth means taking powers of body and mind given as a blessing to the world and using them in a way that does not honor God, leaving them unused instead of employed to bring glory to the Giver.
Faithfully using and improving entrusted abilities, opportunities and means brings commendation, reward and blessing with glory to God. People are strictly judged for how they use their gifts, and reward corresponds to faithfulness, perseverance, effort and the work done. There is no second probation and no later opportunity, for day by day and hour by hour people build for the last great day, trading now on His capital of money and goods, and at His coming He reckons with them, expects results from everyone, and requires an account of what was done with what He gave. As responsible beings people work for time and eternity, making records in the books of heaven and preparing their own reward or punishment proportionate to the work done. Neglecting abilities and opportunities makes a servant unprofitable and answerable in judgment, while faithfully using and increasing gifts brings commendation. The gifts of those who honestly serve increase, but what was entrusted to one who fails to use it is taken away.
Keeping what was entrusted unused and hidden brings condemnation, for Christ at His coming scrutinizes the use of every gift to see whether the capital was improved and returned with increase. Mere profession of faith has no value, and only love proved by works counts as genuine. The slothful servant with his one pound hoarded his Master's capital and did nothing with it and so lost his soul, for there are no idlers in the vineyard and each is committed to earnest, sacred work proportioned to varied capabilities, from the lowliest to the highest trust, including light of truth and all spiritual advantages. Hiding what God entrusts, including wealth, rather than using it to advance His work and save souls, and burying it in earthly investments or needless spending instead of putting it to use, brings condemnation and loss of eternal life, and excuse does not make the withholder innocent. A servant is a worker bearing cares, burdens and responsibilities, handling not his own goods but the Master's capital, and talents must be used to God's glory to increase usefulness, trading on the Lord's goods, improving in character and ability without trifling with time, privileges and opportunities, that corresponding increase with usury may be returned at the final account when the Lord reckons as Chief Shepherd and Judge who justifies by faith and judges by works, where faith works by love and purifies the soul to become His temple.
Hiding God-given abilities instead of using them is a fearful misuse that casts away the crown of life. Folding the talent in a napkin and hiding it in the world means capacities and powers of mental ability, money and influence are not used to the utmost nor returned enlarged and improved, though God claims service, lays responsibilities on everyone, and requires the highest possible usefulness. Life's grand mission is fulfilled only when those responsibilities are fully accepted and faithfully and conscientiously discharged. Keeping an entrusted talent wrapped up and hidden deprives the Master of its increase, for abilities, means and influence are to be put to work in His service, including turning people from error to truth, and those on probation will answer to the returning Master for how they used what was lent. Failure to use the entrusted gift through self-indulgence brings loss and robs God of what was given for service, reflecting an ungenerous, avaricious spirit with distrust and jealousy, while the inner life left unused becomes miserable and unsatisfied. Such neglect is incompatible with the work of Christ's disciples and with life in heaven, forfeits the eternal reward faithful stewardship could have gained, and leaves people unwarned and unsaved with grave guilt.
Keeping the Lord's pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work is embezzling God's goods and taking them away from His work and cause, and every such misappropriation of His money is seen. Gold and silver and possessions are the Lord's, and entrusted talents of means are to be used without human restriction to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need. God cannot and will not sanction and prosper work carried on by diverting means from His cause, and He will not prosper any man who diverts means into channels that bind it away from where need is greatest.
Practical Faithful Application
Entrusted means are to be made productive for the Lord's work by putting what comes from Him to diligent use, for all gain comes from His capital and glory belongs to Him, and this includes bringing tithes and giving offerings willingly and abundantly. Holding earthly treasure unused is the opposite of laying up treasure in heaven, so faithfulness requires dispensing what is lent in a wise and judicious manner while alive, with reason and ability, using means and influence with self-denial to support workers and advance truth rather than leaving until after death the giving that belongs to the steward to do now. Slothfulness in managing His goods and selfishly withholding what belongs to Him retards His work. Means must be used at once without delay of a day or an hour to relieve suffering institutions, with each looking over affairs to see what can be done and those in responsible positions setting example by laboring more earnestly for the institutions than for their own property, for rightly employing property has eternal consequences and freely giving of His own is placing money in the hands of Christ in the person of afflicted brethren, and when believers do their part angels are commissioned to help in time of need.
Faithfulness forbids burying resources in earthly investments or needless spending, for gifts are entrusted for use in His work and those who withhold means from advancing His cause face condemnation and loss of eternal life. Means must not be hoarded nor stewardship left to others, but resources put to work for His cause and the saving of souls so there will be increase at His coming. Giving up stewardship to another can prevent doing the good one is responsible to do, since each is accountable for using entrusted abilities and means in the Lord's work. Tying up money in buildings where it cannot serve His work or help others is like wrapping the pound in a napkin and burying it.
Stewardship includes wisely investing where the Spirit indicates, using homes, land, money and every ability for good and for advancing His work, for even one talent has a useful place and each is held responsible for what is entrusted. Keeping the pound of means wrapped up and buried instead of putting it to work takes it away from His work and cause, and every such misappropriation is seen. Gold and silver and possessions are His, and entrusted talents of means are to be used without human restriction to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need, for work carried on by diverting means from His cause cannot be sanctioned and prospered, nor will any be prospered who diverts means into channels that bind it away from where need is greatest.
Keeping the gift for self fails the responsibility it brings and reveals whether one loves the gift more than the Giver. To keep the pound laid up and hide it is to withhold self from taking burdens and bearing responsibilities while being willing to give means, yet to obey with unselfish love is better than sacrifice, and without it the richest offerings are too meager for the Possessor of all things. Abilities and resources of mind, money and influence are to be used to spread light of truth to those in darkness, not hidden or preserved for self. Knowledge and gifts, even when small, must not be hidden but faithfully put to work, with vital truths brought by the Holy Spirit shared, for the Spirit makes the word a living powerful influence through human effort, its power coming from God working with people not from learning or intelligence, so praise belongs to God. Grace, power and ability left unused must be employed in sharing truth and warning of Christ's return, in active service especially in carrying the gospel to those who have not heard, with cooperation with God while the Spirit works through effort rather than hiding through selfishness or ease.
Talents are sacred trusts to be traded upon to impart truth so those convinced and converted will in turn impart to others. Failing to represent truth through life and character fails to testify to grace and reformation or to exalt the law, for what is entrusted is given to be used in earnest service so it will gain more. This work belongs not to ministers alone but to all who profess truth, who must be taught to minister effectually so hundreds become diligent laborers whose used talents develop men for trust and influence and accomplish great good, instead of binding talents in a napkin and burying them as idlers, slothful members and sleeping churches doing nothing while souls perish without Christ. The minister's wife is therefore responsible to use her abilities earnestly in cooperation with her husband to save souls rather than leaving her gift unused. Every gift is to be appreciated and put to best use with mind, soul and strength controlled by the Spirit in harmony with appointed agencies in molding character after the divine likeness, and parents are to come for forgiving grace, healing power and capability to rule households aright and train children to be tidy, useful and sharing home burdens, for God is robbed when gifts are left unemployed and disconnected from Him.
Excuses that bury talents must be put away, for wrapping the pound in a napkin pictures failure to use abilities in service to save souls. Talents must not be bound in a napkin and hidden but uncovered and used where best suited with increase sought, since every talent will be required in the final reckoning and each is accountable for what is lent. Keeping the pound laid up is offering leaves when fruit is searched for, despite compassion, mercy and long-suffering, and the remedy is to trust and look with confidence. Resolving to do as little as possible is buried ability and neglected responsibility.
The lesson demands mental and moral improvement, growing in grace and knowledge, for disciples cannot remain slothful but must watch for opportunity to represent truth and win souls, and the more talents are exercised the greater the increase of capability, while unused power is lost like seed failing to spring up and losing power to germinate. Capacities of mental ability, money and influence are to be used to the utmost and returned enlarged and improved, with highest usefulness attained and life's mission fulfilled only when responsibilities are fully accepted and faithfully discharged, for hiding the talent casts away the crown of life. The talent is not to be hidden but used with care, neatness, exactitude and economy in planting, building and daily details, for little things become great by attention given and worth is determined by faithfulness in littles, since every consecrated talent will be used for building for time and eternity. Learning in daily details to build for time and eternity leads to having written in heaven, Ye are complete in Him.
A faithful steward works in co-partnership with God with frugality and self-denial with the one object of giving the message not only in the neighborhood but in regions beyond, cherishing love of truth and sanctification that banishes avarice, overreaching and dishonesty, for property, work, tithes, gifts and offerings are His and He will require His own with usury, and to refuse to connect with Him, to refuse self to service and trade upon entrusted gifts, to fail in frugality and self-denial and forget required return, is to be unfaithful and lose blessing on what was entrusted. Those surrendered to God, constrained by Christ's love through perfection of His principles and filled with desire for true piety, no longer conceal talents nor use them in the enemy's service but employ them in God's service. Those who received great light must not tie hands fast but move guardedly and put what is given to active use because of His claims upon them. Talents increase only by using them and God tests His people in this, calling them to arise to the work so faithful burden-bearers are not left alone and younger minds exercise powers in the vineyard.
Investing self and means in land while neglecting spiritual interests and the salvation of others is burying the talent and wasting what is entrusted rather than using it in faithful service, as seen in Edson. Keeping the talent wrapped up until spiritually weak, as seen in Lindsay, shows the danger of leaving a gift unused. Humility remains a precious virtue, yet it does not mean underrating self or holding an unhelpfully low opinion of self.