The Lord blessed us with the resources for a kitchen renovation. After an exhaustive search for someone to do the work, we settled on a contractor. My wife and I did not want to stay in our house while they tore out cabinets and demolished walls, so we decided to rent a place once construction started.

As we went through the design phase and the estimates came in, a nervousness slipped into our hearts. We approved the final design for the kitchen, but many concerns remained. We could not agree on the overall cost, the contingency items, and the establishment of a completion date for the project.

We squabbled with the contractor for weeks and started to question our motives for such an expensive project, which included plenty of extras. After much thought and prayer, our aspiration for an up-to-date kitchen faded away, and the project ended before any construction work started.

As we read in Matthew 25, our Savior’s blessings were proportionate to the measure of good stewardship on the part of his servants. If they were wasteful, his reward was smaller, or he took it away and gave it to someone else.

If we neglect to use the resources God entrusts to us the way he wishes, a similar fate awaits us.

Our Lord keeps a close watch on what he entrusts to us, always wanting to guide us on the use of his gifts. We cannot forget that all that we are and have belongs to him. We cannot neglect to seek his guidance on how best to serve him.

It is not wrong to have wealth, but it is wrong to worship the money God provides. And it is not wrong to live a simple and humble life sustained by limited means either — which returns special blessings to the faithful called to place great trust in our Savior.

But it is wrong to take our blessings for granted, in whatever form they take, without thanking the Giver of “every good and perfect gift from above” (James 1:17). When God blesses us, he wants us to share what he has given, blessing others in return.

Lord, never let me forget you have given much and with that comes real responsibility. What I do for me and others matters to you. Thank you for your gifts; help me to use them the way you want. Amen.

Throughout This Day: How often do we squander our gifts from God throughout the day without even realizing it — our time, our talents, our financial resources? God patiently invites us time and again to choose to joyfully serve him with the gifts we have received, including the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who is faithful to guide us and empower us to do whatever God wants.



Tags: Matthew 25 Daily Devotional
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