“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina (talent) away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. Luke 19:24-26
The above well-known parable comes with two promises: to the one who has, more will be given but to the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away!
The question is, which promise do you want to take hold of? Our Lord Jesus explained clearly what to do in each case. I am sure you want the abundant life Jesus died for you to have, I certainly do! So what can stop us from living in that abundance? What can stop us from accessing all the good gifts and blessings our Heavenly Father has for our lives?
Let’s have a look at the servant who had his mina taken away: what stopped him from using what he was given? This is what it says in Luke 19: 20 - 21:
‘Sir here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
The servant was afraid! Now fear does not exempt us from fulfilling what we are called to do. Here the servant feared punishment from his master and he was judged according to what he believed!
Who do you believe your Master is? Jesus is our Master; our Heavenly Father has appointed Him King. Our Lord Jesus is just, loving and compassionate, a Master who served us first so we could learn from Him, and through Him all things were created so there is nothing impossible for our Lord! Therefore, if you are like the above servant and fear is stopping you from doing what you are called to do, perhaps you need to get to know Jesus better!
Fearing people or fearing adversity/challenges shows lack of understanding of who Jesus (your Master) is and His promises. He has promised He will help us overcome any and every difficult situation no matter how bad it looks! He will use every situation for our good and the good of others. Basically our Lord has removed the fear, guilt and condemnation of failure from our life because in every difficulty, if we come to Him, we will find life and redemption and an outcome where victory will be ours!
Therefore fear should never stop us.
Take some time this week to reflect in any area of your life where fear is stopping you from taking action and you know you are hiding what God has given you to put to work for the growth of His Kingdom. Let’s overflow with more of Him!