Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:14-30, taken today from the New King James Version (NKJV).

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Has someone ever trusted you to care for something of theirs – a pet, a plant, a house? Did you try harder to care for their things than you did your own? That is the feeling Jesus wants us to have about the gifts God has given us.

While we say “our gifts”, they really belong to God, as does all of creation. God has given these wonderful things for our use and expects us to employ them wisely, for the good of all His children. This is the reason Jesus teaches the Parable of the Unproductive Servant.

He tells us “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). We are taught and gifted and sent to tell others. God wants us to be part of His work, sharing His truth and love with all the world.

Gracious God, thank You for the wonderful things we are given to use in our work for the kingdom. Help us to be strong and courageous even when our tasks are hard. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:14-30, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’ “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus tells us that we were created for a purpose. Our lives and the world around us are gifts from God to be used for His glory and to tell everyone of the joy of our connection with Him. When we use these as He intended, we and all creation are blessed.

The lazy slave in this parable serves as a warning not to hide our gifts from the world. God expects more from us than just daily survival. He made us in His image to be in relationship with Him and each other.

Ignoring the task He has for us means missing the goal of the kingdom work planned for us. Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Use the gift you have been given to show others how great God is and what He has done in your life.

Loving Lord, we have been blessed beyond measure by Your gifts to us. Help us to use them well, that all the world may come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:14-30, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. In the same way the man with two earned two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ “The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned. “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Our understanding of this parable is hampered by the translation to English, the two thousand years of history between us, and the difference in our cultures. Trying to make it fit today is difficult if we don’t understand the circumstances, we get lost in the “but what about this?” details. Jesus wants us to hear the facts in the story over anything else.

Some translations use the term “servant” and others “slave”, and in our society these are loaded terms. We need to listen and understand the facts in the lesson without being distracted by this. Perhaps if the story said “employees” we could move into the teaching more easily.

The fact that sometimes gets lost in this parable is that the master trusts his people. He is counting on them to continue the business while he is away. Jesus gives us instructions to continue his ministry and the gifts to do so, just as did the master in the parable. We are called to be partners in His kingdom work.

Loving Lord, help us to hear Your call, see the needs and share Your love in the world. Let us be the workers You intend us to be. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:14-30, taken today from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 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.’ 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.’ 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.’ 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.’ 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; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 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? 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. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 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. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Many find this parable hard to understand and are concerned about the treatment of the third servant. The master seems unfair to react so harshly. The servant didn’t do anything wrong, but then again, he didn’t do anything right.

Too often this parable is misunderstood as “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”, which is not what Jesus is telling us. He is speaking not about wealth in the earthly sense but the gifts God has given and the responsibility to use them as God intended. In verses 21 and 23 the master commends those who have done something with what they were given – “you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master”.

We must look at this lesson as being about using what we are given wisely and enthusiastically. God doesn’t want His gift to us buried and unused, it is intended for the good of His children. When we share our blessings, they are multiplied by God’s love.

Gracious God, we have been given wonderful gifts as part of Your plan. Help us see where they are needed and use them for the good of Your people. Amen.

Our scripture this week is from Matthew 25:14-30, taken today from the Common English Bible (CEB).

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey. “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’ “The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’ “Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’ “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. Now take the worthless servant and throw him out into the farthest darkness.’ “People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.”

In some translations this is called the Parable of the Talents. A talent was a measure of weight applied to gold and silver. The master in this story is entrusting the wealth of his household to these servants for them to manage in his absence. Jesus is telling us that like these servants, we have a obligation to God and each other for putting to good use that which we have been given.

When God created us He gave us each something valuable, a skill to be shared with others. Additionally, He gave us charge over His creation, an incredible gift and an enormous responsibility. We often lose sight of the requirements this entails and the tremendous trust God has placed in us to use this gift well.

Jesus also left us with a responsibility for kingdom work – to share the Good News with everyone, everywhere. This is nothing less than carrying on His ministry, to care for each other and share God’s love. Like the master in the story, our Master will return and He will expect an accounting of what we have done with His riches.

Gracious God, we are amazed that You call us to be part of Your work and that You give us such gifts to use here. Help us to be productive servants, letting all people know the joy of our relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:14-30, today from the New International Version (NIV).

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This is another lesson about Jesus’ return and what is expected of us. It speaks of our gifts and the responsibility to use them well. The “wicked, lazy servant” is said to represent the Scribes and Pharisees, who been given the gift of God’s law but did nothing with it to benefit their Master or others.

We are all gifted differently but we are all expected to use them in a manner that glorifies God and lifts up those around us. When we fail to do this, our gifts are wasted, as if we’d buried them in the ground. Jesus spoke often of our blessings and why it was important to share them.

Think of something that you are good at because of God’s gift to you, and make a conscious effort to use it today. The blessing we receive is never diminished when we use it, instead it is ready to use again and often made stronger through our sharing. God is with us when we use His gifts well.

Loving Lord, we often ignore the wonderful things You have placed in us and miss the joy of sharing them with others. Help us to be willing servants, ready to use our gifts for the good of others. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:1-13, today from the New King James Version (NKJV).

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The parable of the bridesmaids is a lesson on being ready, but what does that mean to us as Christ’s followers? It teaches that we are to wait for His return, doing as He has taught us. This is patient waiting but also active waiting.

Jesus didn’t tell us “learn the lessons, then sit quietly over there”, He calls us to go into the world to make a difference! We are to share His story and His love with everyone, ensuring they hear God’s promise of salvation. Some of the bridesmaids are prepared and some are not, we are warned to be ready through their example.

Jesus has taught us the most important things are loving God and each other. By sharing what God has done in our lives, we help others make that connection and commitment. Keep the lamp of faith burning strong in your life, shine it on others that they too may live in God’s light.

Gracious God, help us to be the servants You call us to be, ready to share our story with the world that all may know the joy of a relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:1-13, today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

When the time comes, it is too late to get ready. We must be prepared in advance. Like the warnings we receive of impending severe weather, we have been told that Jesus is returning. No amount of frantic action on our part will be effective then.

Jesus doesn’t want us to miss out on the blessing He brings, so He tells us many times in scripture “be ready”. In Luke 21:36 Jesus says “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” We won’t be able to say we didn’t know He was coming when that day arrives.

For all the important and dire sounding words, Jesus doesn’t want us to be afraid. He said we won’t know when but we know what to expect. He tells us this that we may be ready to welcome Him back, set to receive the gift of salvation promised to those who are faithful.

Loving Lord, we don’t always understand but we always trust inYou. Help us to stay ready, loving God and one another, and keeping watch until Your return. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:1-13, today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them; but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps. Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ However, the prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.

Waiting is not something people do willingly. I don’t know anyone who says “I hope I get to stand in a long line today!” We are an impatient people and most of us rank waiting as a primary annoyance.

Why then does God make us wait for the coming of the kingdom? We don’t want to be patient, we want it now! There is the problem, what we want, not what God wants. Waiting means we are not in control.

God led the children of Israel in the desert for forty years. It was several hundred years before the coming of the Messiah. It has now been almost two thousand years since Jesus was here. God’s time is not our time and we must learn to be patient, doing the work we have been called to until God calls us home.

Loving Lord, we are anxious and afraid. We want the resolutions of our problems to be quick and easy. Help us to trust You and wait until the appointed time. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:1-13, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ “The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’ “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’ “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’ “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.

Jesus says that being ready for His return, whenever God commands it, is the most important task we have. He has used many examples such as this to explain God’s plan for us and our part in His kingdom. All of these point to a call on our lives, a duty to respond, not just listen.

The gifts God gives us imply a responsibility to use them for the good of His children. We have often abused those gifts, using them only for ourselves instead of for God’s purpose. When we use His creation wrongly, we waste the gift and the opportunity we were given to advance His kingdom.

While God needs no help from us, He has graciously called us to take part in what He does. Jesus told us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Sharing His love so others may recognize their gifts and use them wisely is part of being ready for His return.

Merciful God, we are sorry for the times we ignore Your gifts and our responsibility to Your kingdom. Make us strong in Your love to share the Good News with everyone. Amen.