Make the most of life: Matthew 25.14–30 (Day 196)

Pray

Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.

Read

Joshua 22 Acts 2 Jeremiah 11 Matthew 25

Daily reflection: Matthew 25

The ‘parable of the talents’ – a talent can be translated as ‘1,000 gold coins’ – fits here with the idea that Christ will come to judge what we’ve done with what we’ve been given, and it’s an uncomfortable read. At one level, it’s a piece of practical wisdom. We all have ‘talents’, in the modern sense: gifts, skills, opportunities. What are we doing with them? We don’t have to be highly driven to ‘succeed’ or to fill our lives with new experiences – that can get unhealthily competitive. But we should aim to be useful, to fill our lives constructively, and to end each day with something to show for it. Drifting aimlessly is not an option for believers.

But there’s more here, too. The servants are given different amounts – and again, this is true to life. We all have different natural abilities and life chances. Resenting our disadvantages is pointless; what will we do with what we’ve been given? And there’s a detail that we sometimes miss – the sums of money involved are staggering. The gift of simply being alive is beyond price; even the servant who received the least amount was richly blessed.

There’s a question implicit in the story, too: how like God is the master in the parable, really? Is he the ‘hard man’ who rewards those who already have plenty and takes from the poorest even the little they have? No: and there’s another layer of meaning here to explore. In the real world, even God’s unworthiest servants are loved, welcomed and forgiven.

Pray

God, thank you for the gift of life and for the opportunities you give me to experience the wonderful world you’ve made. Help me to use each day wisely and well.