Faithful Stewardship: Investing God’s Blessings for His Glory

Everything Belongs to God

Sunday morning, we explored one of Jesus’ most well-known parables—the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. For many of us, it’s a story we’ve read dozens of times, but every time I return to it, I’m reminded of something new about who God is and what He expects of us.

Last week, we laid a foundation with this truth: a blessing is anything God gives that draws us closer to Him, sustains our life, or reveals His goodness—whether it’s material, relational, or spiritual. That definition is crucial because it reminds us that every good thing we have isn’t simply “ours.” It’s His.

That understanding leads us to a word that shapes our lives as disciples—stewardship. If everything belongs to God, then we are not owners; we are managers. And stewardship means wisely managing God’s gifts—our time, talents, and treasures—for His glory.

Different Gifts, Same Giver

In Jesus’ parable, a master prepares to leave on a journey. He calls his servants together and entrusts them with his wealth. One receives five talents, another two, and another one—each according to his ability.

Now, a “talent” in Jesus’ day was a monetary unit, roughly equal to twenty years’ worth of wages. To put that in today’s terms, if the average annual income is around $57,000, that means a single talent is close to $1 million.

So the first servant received the equivalent of about $5 million, the second around $2 million, and the third nearly $1 million. Suddenly, even the “least” gift doesn’t seem so small.

That’s the first truth I want us to see: God entrusts each of us with different resources, but all of them are valuable because they come from Him.
The servant who received one talent didn’t get shortchanged. What he received was still of tremendous worth.

We need that reminder. In our culture, we tend to measure value by quantity—by how much we have, how talented we are, or how successful we look. But God doesn’t bless us equally in the way the world defines equality. He blesses us intentionally.

He knows what we can handle. He knows what will draw us closer to Him. He knows what will shape our faith.

So the real question is not, “Why don’t I have what they have?” but rather, “What am I doing with what God has given me?”

Faithfulness Over Quantity

When the master returns, the first two servants have doubled their master’s investment. The one with five talents turns it into ten; the one with two turns it into four. The master praises both in exactly the same way:

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”

Notice what the master celebrates—it’s not the amount but the faithfulness.

The servant who turned two into four didn’t produce as much as the one who turned five into ten, but he receives the same commendation. Why? Because faithfulness, not quantity, is what God honors.

We live in a results-driven world, but God is not impressed by our numbers or achievements. He’s looking for hearts that trust Him enough to act. Faithfulness is an action word. It means taking what God has placed in your hands and using it—wisely, humbly, and gratefully—for His purposes.

If God has blessed you with time, use it in ways that honor Him.
If He has blessed you with talent, use it to point others to Jesus.
If He has blessed you with resources, use them to bless others and build His kingdom.

Faithfulness is never passive. It is a daily decision to honor God with what He’s already given you.

When Fear Buries Our Blessings

Then we come to the third servant. He receives one talent—nearly a million dollars—and buries it. Why? Because he’s afraid.

When his master returns, he says, “I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.”

Fear froze him. Fear stole his faith. Fear caused him to waste an incredible blessing.

The master’s response is sharp: “You wicked and lazy servant.” He tells him that even if he had simply put the money in the bank, it would have earned interest. In other words, “You could have done less and still done something.”

That’s the painful truth of this story: when we allow fear to keep us from using what God has given us, we bury our blessings.

Fear says, “I’m not ready.”
Fear says, “I’m not gifted enough.”
Fear says, “Someone else can do it better.”

And when fear wins, obedience loses. The joy of serving God is buried right alongside our gifts.

The Cost of Inaction

This is the part of the parable that’s hardest to hear. The master calls the fearful servant “worthless” and casts him out. It’s a sobering reminder that we will be held accountable for our stewardship.

We often think judgment is reserved for those who do wrong. But this story teaches that judgment can also fall on those who simply do nothing.

That’s a difficult truth. It’s one that makes even preachers nervous to talk about. But it’s one we can’t ignore. God expects us to act on what He’s given.

Think about how many times God has opened a door for you to serve—perhaps to teach, to give, to encourage, or to step out in faith—and you’ve said no because it made you uncomfortable. Each time, a blessing gets buried.

And when blessings are buried, joy is buried too. The joy that comes from pleasing God, the joy of knowing you’ve used your life to make a difference for His kingdom—that’s the joy we lose when we let fear take the lead.

Reframing Our Opportunities

Imagine how differently we’d respond to opportunities if we saw them as divine invitations rather than burdens.

When someone asks you to teach, to serve, or to give, what if you heard it not as a human request but as God saying, “I’ve given you this gift—will you use it for Me?”

What if, instead of seeing stewardship as an obligation, we saw it as a conversation with God? Every opportunity to serve, every check we write, every act of generosity—it’s a chance to say, “Lord, I trust You more than my comfort, more than my fear, more than my stuff.”

Am I Burying or Investing?

The parable ends where it began—with ownership. The master owns everything. The servants only manage what has been placed in their hands.

And so it is with us. Everything we have—our time, our talents, our treasure—belongs to God. The question we each have to ask is:

Am I burying God’s blessings, or am I investing them for His glory?

Because one day, the Master will return. And on that day, I don’t want fear or excuses to be my legacy. I want to hear the same words that echoed through this parable:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That’s not just a commendation. It’s a celebration of trust, obedience, and love.
Everything we have is a gift from God. The greatest way to honor that gift is to use it for Him.