Wicked and Slothful

The Parable of the Talents means more to me and my life story than almost any other story in Scripture. It’s the foundation of why I named 25|29 Ventures after Matthew 25:29:

“For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance.”        

But it wasn’t always that way in my life. And it's the verses before v29 that carry the deep explanation. Let's rewind and explore.

For the first half of my entrepreneurial journey, I was the man with one talent. I buried what God gave me. My time. My gifts. My treasure. All hidden...because I thought I was being responsible. I told myself I was protecting what He’d entrusted to me. I thought that focusing first on myself and my family to "get stable so I could write a $1 million check to Church" was what God cared about. At times in present day, I honestly can't believe how twisted my mindset was.

At the end of the day, I was letting the enemy lie to me and twist the living Word of God to try and benefit myself for my own gain. I was building my kingdom and not His Kingdom. And when you distill it down to the bare bones...what I was really doing was living in fear, not faith.

When our loving Father pulled back the scales and allowed me to see the Parable of the Talents for what it truly is...it changed everything.

I finally read this parable through the lens of stewardship and there were three deeply moving things that stood out.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to dive into my heart and share this with you.

1. “He gave to each according to his ability.” (v15) This one line tells us so much about the character of God. He knows our capacity. He knows our hearts. And He will never give us something we can’t carry with His strength. Some are given five talents, others two, others one. He isn't playing favorites. He just knows the limitation of each of our capacity because He uniquely knit each of us together. God measures the weight of what He places in our hands. Our job isn’t to compare...it’s to steward. Because the moment we look sideways...we lose sight of the assignment in front of us.
2. “Now after a long time…” (v19) This is the verse nobody talks about. It wasn’t the next day. It wasn’t the next year. It says, “after a long time.” Let's assume that means years.The master took his time before returning to settle accounts. And that phrase convicted me deeply because growth in the Kingdom is never "right away." We live in a world that worships speed. But God's Kingdom, He builds us through seasons of consistency. Faithfulness over time. Obedience when no one’s watching and in a long direction. Discipline when it’s not producing visible results. We're playing the long game here, friends.
3. “You wicked and slothful servant.” (v26) Ok...this is where I got the gut punch from God. He called me out as wicked and slothful. That word slothful stands out. The servant wasn’t evil in the way we think of evil...he was lazy. He played it safe. He let fear dictate his obedience. And the result wasn’t necessarily being neutral...it was darkness. In verse 30 he gets cast out to outer darkness! Reread that. That should shake us to our core. Because doing nothing with what God gives is not “safe.” It’s straight up disobedient. God doesn’t call us to play defense with His gifts. He calls us to multiply what He’s placed in our hands and to do it for His glory, not our comfort.

Wow.

Now let's take a deep breath and reflect on a question. I encourage you to talk with the Lord as soon as you're ready. Prepare your heart and seek after Him with a sincere desire to know the answer. Then read through Matthew 25:14-30 and ask the Lord:

“Is there anything You’ve placed in my hands that I’ve buried?”

Let Him show you where He’s calling you to dig it up. To redeem it. To assign you and show you what He has for you. He will answer you!