THE FEARFUL SERVANT
“And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.
Look, there you have what is yours”
(Matthew 23:25).
The boss gave money to three of his employees for them to use wisely and asked them to report how much they earned with it. Two of them loved him, and they joyfully went out to do as much as they could with the money.
They were able to double his money. The third one, however, was afraid of his boss. The same man who was loved, respected, and well served by the first two was viewed differently by the third employee. The difference was in the concept he had of his boss. The word used in the original Greek of the New Testament to describe this man’s idea of his boss is Skelēros, which means severe, violent, intolerable, malicious, offensive, and strict.* With a definition like that it was impossible to have a healthy relationship with the man!
What concept do you have of God? The fear that the third man felt because of his perception of his boss, led him to hide the talent that was entrusted to him. A talent was almost 47 pounds of silver, equivalent to nearly twenty years worth of salary for a day worker (see SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 510). When did his fear begin? Why did he accept the responsibility if he didn’t plan to invest the moneys, He was afraid of failing, and full of doubt. What if he didn’t earn interest? What if he lost the capital? What if he had to pay for the losses? Fear feeds on doubts and they, in turn, feed on unanswered questions. Some people act like this servant: “Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, no standard to reach. Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, Ch. 25, p. 331.
Fear destroys our perseverance, confidence, and will power. We can only serve God when we recognize who He is: a faithful Friend. Then, we serve Him effortlessly, not because of the future reward of eternal life but for the pleasure that we get from being with Him while we serve Him. Love was what propelled the faithfulness of the first two servants toward their master; fear is what led the third one to hide his talent. The divine Steward will hold us accountable for our talents, such as time, money, body, and specific abilities.
Every Christian has a duty to discover their talents, improve them, and develop a ministry for the glory of God. “Not once should we even think of failure.
We are to cooperate with One who knows no failure.”— Christ’s Object Lessons, ch. 25, 363.
Fear does not justify the foolish servant, because ‘our heavenly Father requires no more nor less than He has given us ability to do.”—ibid, p. 362.
*Blue Latur Bible, Lexicon: Strong’s G4642 — Skelēros, en https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4642/rvr60/tr/0- 1/. consulted in March, 2022.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Angelica Cuate & Esteban Cortes