Using Our Gifts for the King
Month 6: Stories Jesus Told · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 25:14-23
14 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. 16 The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. 17 Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
Memory Verse
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’”— Matthew 25:21 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 100-102
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 178 of 365 — "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving... for the LORD is good" — Psalm 100, the great call to glad worship.)The Heart of It
This week we learned our memory verse. Today we get to see the story it came from. A master goes on a journey and trusts his servants with "talents," which were large amounts of money. He gives five to one, two to another, and one to a third, "to each according to his own ability." The first two get to work. They put their talents to use, and they double what they were given. When the master returns, he says to each of them the very words we have been hiding in our hearts: "Well done, good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your lord." Notice he says the same thing to the one who made five more and the one who made two more. He wasn't measuring totals. He was measuring faithfulness. Each one used what he actually had, and each one heard "well done."
God has given every single person at this table something to invest for Him. It might be abilities, time, energy, the gospel itself, or a particular spark He put in you and no one else. Some of us have five "talents," some two, some one. That's His call to make, not ours to envy or boast about. Here is what matters. Do we use what He has given? The two faithful servants didn't bury their gifts. They didn't wait until they had more. They put to work what was already in their hands. As we close out this month of Jesus' stories, this one ties them all together. The treasure is worth everything. The kingdom keeps growing. We are forgiven much. We keep our lamps full. We live generously. And now we invest it all for the King who is coming back. So let's worship Him today by asking one question. What has He placed in my hands, and how will I use it for Him this week?
Around the Table
God gives each of us something special to use for Him. When we use our gifts to help and love, He says, "Well done!"
Let's do it: Go around the table and name one thing each person is good at. Then pray, "Thank You, God, for my gift — I'll use it for You!"
Both servants who used their gifts heard the same "well done," even though one had more. God measures faithfulness, not totals.
Let's talk: What is one gift or ability God has given you? Name a way you could use it for Him this week.
The master gave to each servant according to his own ability, and he rewarded their faithfulness equally, no matter the size. The point isn't how much you have. It is whether you invest it instead of burying it.
Let's go deeper: Is there a gift, an opportunity, or a bit of faith you have been "burying" out of fear or laziness? What would it look like to put it to work for the King?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you had to teach the rest of the family one thing you are good at, what would it be? That is a "talent" God gave you to use!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some imagine God hands out blessings in a random or unfair way. But Jesus shows a Master who gives wisely, "to each according to his own ability" (). And He rewards every faithful servant. This proves that God knows each of us personally and values what we do with what He gives.
For Dad · Go Deeper
As a closing family-worship reflection for the month, the parable of the talents recasts the entire Christian life as stewardship. It is worth letting that reshape how you lead. Three truths stand out. First, the gifting is unequal, but the reward is not. The five-talent and two-talent servants hear the same praise. That means God's "well done" is not reserved for the most gifted child. It is for the most faithful, whatever their capacity. Hold that out to every kid, especially the one who feels overshadowed by a sibling. Second, the third servant's sin wasn't theft. It was burying his gift out of a twisted fear of the master. "I knew you to be a hard man," he said (v. 24). Children who see God as harsh and stingy will play it safe and waste what He has given. Children who see Him as generous will take risks and invest. So the picture of God you paint at home is not decoration. It directly shapes whether your kids will step out in faith or bury it. Third, this is your own test as a father. The gospel, your family, your years are all entrusted to you. All of it is to be invested. None of it is to be buried. The aim of the whole month of parables comes to rest right here. Live now in light of the Master's return, and lead your household to do the same, so that you might all one day hear, together, "Well done."
Draws on: Craig Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables; John Stott, on stewardship and the Christian life.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for giving each of us gifts to use for You. Forgive us for the times we hide them out of fear or laziness. Help us be good and faithful servants. Help us use everything You have given us, while we wait for Jesus to come. We long to hear You say, 'Well done.' In Jesus' name, amen."
God gave me something to invest for Him. I won't bury it. I'll put it to work.