Matthew
25:14-30 / Luke 19:12-27
Don’t Bury Your Resources
If your first thought is “Great! I’ll start thinking like an
entrepreneur,” your most likely second thought will be “What if I fail?” This
is natural, and particularly potent because of how most people respond to
making versus losing money. In behavioral economics, there is the concept of
“loss aversion,” which explains that we feel roughly twice as bad about losing
money as we feel good about making a similar amount of money.
When it comes to innovation, this very-human tendency is problematic
because innovation is an “asymmetric activity”. You risk the maximum of the
money and time invested into the experiment of creating a new product or
service. If the market loves your product or service, great! There is no
inherent limit to the return on your investment. If it doesn’t, the most you
can lose is the time and money invested (and you still gain valuable knowledge
or perspective).
In today’s Scriptures, we are going to read two parables where Christ
uses the illustration of a master asking his servants to work with some
monetary resources (talents or minas) on his behalf while he is away. Scholars
believe that Jesus taught this parable at least twice, given the differences
between accounts recorded by both Matthew and Luke. Given that Christ made the
point at least twice, I believe it’s a concept that the Lord really wants us to
understand.
In both parables, one of the servants hides the resources he was given
and returns back to the master exactly what was given to him, while the others
work with their resources to grow them. In both parables, the master is furious
with the one who buries his resources. The message version translation of
Luke’s parable does a great job summarizing the key point. It quotes Christ as
saying, “That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed
of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag” (Luke 19:26)
In these parables, let’s not focus on whether any one servant succeeds
or fails, but on who “takes the risk” and who “plays it safe.” God’s message is
to embrace the talents with which He has imbued you and have faith that they
are enough to meet the challenges He calls you to take. Instead of burying your
talents like the servant who plays it safe, spend some time in prayer asking
the Lord what risks he is calling on you to take.
I think this principle goes far beyond achieving financial rewards. In
fact, I know many Christians who have taken entrepreneurial risks in their
careers and failed, losing money and missing out on other opportunities. Many
times, the Lord uses such an experience to teach and enable them to do other
great things. This principle is not a guarantee of making money or being
successful – it’s about taking risks and wholeheartedly reaching to achieve the
dreams that the Lord has put on your heart.
In the next two days,
we’ll focus developing those dreams and thinking through appropriate ways to
take those risks.
Adapted
From: Redefining Work - You Version
