The spirit of competition is a plague upon the ministry. We tend to measure ourselves by that which we perceive about others—the number of baptisms, members in attendance, size of budgets,and so forth. This leads us to gauge ourselves as better than other pastors or inferior to them. There are all kinds of issues then attendant on our judgment—feelings of pride, inferiority, envy, self-justification, complacency, and more. None of this is helpful. This should lead us to consider the parable Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his Lord’s money. After a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his Lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
The reality is that all God’s servants have a sacred stewardship and will be judged by Christ at the end of the age. According to this parable of our Lord, we will not be judged in comparison to other servants, but “each according to his own ability.” God has created us and gifted us in His sovereignty with our unique capacity. He will judge us—not in relation to what others do—but according to what He has assigned us to do. Both the five talent man and the two talent man heard the identical commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What blessed words to hear some day!
One receives condemnation and not commendation—the servant who squanders any opportunity by being fearful, faithless, and fruitless. This one is not rewarded in heaven, but cast into hell! Can it be that some preachers are unsaved? Tragically, there was one listening that day. His name was Judas Iscariot.
God has given you life. We are a steward to give it back to God as we bow to Him as Lord. Let us then get busy serving Christ according to the capacity He places in us—stewards of the spiritual gifts He has bestowed on us. We have no time to compare ourselves with others. Christ will judge our faithfulness and fruitfulness at the Judgment.
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