Matthew 25:24-30…“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.” vss. 24b-25
Jesus regularly talked about fear as he brought the good news to those who became his followers. His own disciples needed to hear that there was nothing to be afraid of. “Fear not,” he said as they battled the storm on the sea of Galilee. “Do not be afraid,” he said as he appeared to them after his resurrection.
Fear keeps us from action and stymies our learning. And as the slave in this parable testified, fear causes us to bury our talents in the ground, and destroys our attempts to find out who we really are. Fear makes us impotent and undermines faith. In the presence of fear we fall, both literally and figuratively. We never get to realize our potential and the Spirit’s fruit rots within us.
How blessed are those who take the gifts they have been given and cause them to multiply, not by investing in high interest funds, but by loving with reckless abandon, and serving at the expense of themselves! As they give, they will receive, and their abundance will be beyond all expectations. These are the trustworthy servants and they will certainly know the joy of God’s peaceable kingdom.
Thought for the Day: When does fear paralyze me?
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