What Will You Do with What the Master Has Given You?

 

“The Parable of the Ten Minas” – Luke 19:11-27

Dear Friends, as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, many in the crowd expected the kingdom of God to appear immediately. To correct this misunderstanding and to prepare His followers for the time between His departure and return, Jesus told the Parable of the Ten Minas.

A nobleman (representing Jesus Himself) went to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return. Before leaving, he called ten of his servants and gave each one a mina (a significant sum of money, roughly three months’ wages) with these instructions:

“Engage in business until I come.” (Luke 19:13 ESV)

When the nobleman returned as king, he called the servants to give an account. The first servant had made ten more minas and was rewarded with authority over ten cities. The second had made five more and received authority over five cities. But the third servant, out of fear, had hidden his mina in a cloth. He returned it exactly as he had received it.

The king’s response was severe. He called the servant wicked and slothful, took the mina away from him, and gave it to the one who had ten. Then came the sobering principle:

“To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Luke 19:26 ESV)

The parable ends with a clear warning about those who rejected the king’s rule — they would face judgment.

This parable is both an encouragement and a challenge. Jesus has gone away to receive His kingdom and will return. In the meantime, He has entrusted each of us with resources, abilities, opportunities, time, and the gospel itself. The question is not how much we have been given, but what we are doing with what we have.

Pause & Pray: Take a quiet moment right now before the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what “minas” He has entrusted to you — your time, talents, finances, relationships, or opportunities to serve and witness. Confess any areas where you have been fearful, lazy, or unfaithful. Thank Him for His grace and ask for wisdom and courage to invest what He has given you for His glory. Pray for our church family that we would all be found faithful when the King returns.

Verse to Remember: “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’” (Luke 19:17 ESV)

Question to Consider: What has the Lord entrusted to you right now — time, abilities, resources, or opportunities? Are you actively investing these for His kingdom, or are you holding back out of fear or complacency? What one practical step can you take this week to be more faithful with what you have been given?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church