29th oct
sermon devotion :
be accountable—the best return on investment / matthew 25 : 14-30 / rev Melvyn mak

The day of the 2nd coming is the day of the accounting. Everyone will be accountable of the “talents” that we are entrusted with on the day of the 2nd coming. Everyone is given the talents according to our own needs and abilities, therefore. God will decide on how much “talents” he will entrust you, so as to make sure that you’re capable of accomplishing the tasks that he has given you. Everyone has different abilities, thus God will entrust you with the talents according to your own ability. You do not need to feel more inferior if you’re entrusted with lesser talents, because just like the “5 loaves and 2 fishes” story, you’ll be able to use what has given you to shine for God and bless others. You’ll be able to multiply and expand your “talents’ that the lord has entrusted you with.

1) The truth of recognition—God trusts us as managers
The 1st quest..we should ask ourselves..would be.”are we good managers?”. Do we make full use of what the lord has entrusted to us.?. the Lord has recognized that we are people to be trusted thus he is willing to entrust us with so much money and inheritance, blessings and abilities. In the olden days, 1 talent is equivalent to $600 000..which shows that the master(which represents God) trusts and recognizes his servants(we, the people of God) so much that he readily entrusts them with the huge amount of money to invest and take good care of. We are managers of these talents, not owners. Thus, it’s important that we invest of the ‘talents’ that God has entrusted us with, because we want to make good use of what the lord has entrusted us with. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “you are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” We do not own ourselves, neither do we own the talents. We were bought at a price by the blood Jesus Christ that is stained by our sins, thus it’s impt that we honor God with our body and our actions and life. God entrusts us according to our abilities of our positions TO SUCCEED, thus there’s not excuse!!..we’re gotta do something to our talents, and not just leave it there to ROT. .LOL..God always entrusts us with something BIG..cuz he believes in us and knows that we’re capable of success. . he has given each and everyone of us enough ability and strength to conquer the challenges that God has given us, and knows that we CAN all do IT. .

Sometimes we blame God when God takes away our talents, and we get envious of people who get 5 talents, while we ourselves are only stuck with 1 pathetic talent. BUT, always remember that nothing is our life belongs to us, God gives and God takes away, he decides whether he should remove or provide us with talents. REMEMBER JOB, the guy who led a terrible life, and who was under poor circumstances. Even though he suffered a lot in his life, but he never forgot to praise the lord during his suffering, for he understands that God is in control of his life, and he must have his own reasons from removing all his blessings and allowing intense suffering to happen in his life.
2) Truth of responsibility –God expects us to multiply
God expects a return of his investment. He wants us to multiply with the talents that we are entrusted with. We have to be like the 1st and 2nd servants who managed to multiply all their talents that they are given with. The faithfulness of God will always remain with us, as his love for us never changes. Revelations 4 : 11 “you are worthy, our lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Worthy = deserving, therefore we worship a worthy God for he loves us so deeply that he gave his one and only begotten son, so that we can receive eternal life. He is a WORTHY God, he truly deserves our praises. Multiplication is the love of the fruit, only when we truly love others, then we can grow and multiply.

There will come a time when there will be 2 judgements:

Judgement of the great white throne (judgement of everyone)
And judgement of the saints(believers)


3) truth of relationship—we must experience the master’s love
We must have a correct perception/view of the lord so that we’re able to have a good and close relationship with HIM.
2 corinthians 5 :8-10 :”we walk by faith, not by sight.” we do everything by faith, not by seeing things. Although seeing is believing, but our spiritual walk with God is determined by the faith with have. It does not matter how small or big our faith is, as long we have faith as small as a seedling, we are able to do great things for God. Faith is like a secret weapon, as long as you own this secret weapon; you will be able to perform miracles—blessing others. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 __the day of his 2nd coming will be a day of intense FIRE. Therefore, let’s build gold, silver and stone, not things that are made of hay and straw. This gold, silver and stone would be able to survive under high heat, and we will be able to receive our rewards. “whoever saves his life loses it, but whoever loses his life save it.” Whoever does the work of God and is willing to lose his life for the furtherance of God’s kingdom, will be saved eventually, but whoever is selfish and only wishes to save his life will eventually loses his life.

the 1st 2 servants enter into the joy of the lord while the last servant goes to the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping and gnashing of teeth = death/hell..it seems scary..isn’t it.?.....yes,,this parable is a serious parable .. that shows that if we do not do what God has wanted, which is to multiply our talents..then we will end up being banished into hell,,suffering. .in the deep pits and never to return again.

Moreover the 3rd servant had a wrong view of the master, he thought he was a cold master, and therefore is unwilling to multiply his talents. He did not even think of putting into the bank, where interest could be collected. The servant had a wrong perception and thus, fear comes into his hearts. He becomes really afraid of his master and does not wish to work for him.