Taking The Path Of Least Resistance Does Not Turn Out Well

Looking at the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30 NLT), we can fully understand what the above title is talking about, when we look at the one talent man. In looking at the one talent man, this writer would like to make the following four observations:

1) The one talent man was obviously lazy (vs. 26).

2) The one talent man was irresponsible (no ambition), by setting no financial goals to achieve, thus increasing the original amount of money he was responsible for (vs. 25 .... "I was afraid I would lose your money....."

3) The one talent man was irresponsible with the money he was originally given, by hiding his master's money in the earth (vs. 25). Here was a man who couldn't be trusted with even a small amount of money, much less a large amount.

4) The one talent man could not plead ignorance as an excuse for not wisely investing his master's money (vs. 25 - note the words, "If you knew.....").

As a result of the one talent man's irresponsibility, not only was the money given to him taken away, but he was deemed as being a "useless servant" --- one who was thrown into "outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vs. 30). God demands productivity in His kingdom (John 15:1-8 NLT), or we too will one day find ourselves in "outer darkness."

What's the lesson we can learn from the one talent man, "if" we fail in our responsibility to properly use the talents the Lord has provided each one of us?

Taking the path of least resistance does not turn out well.

Beloved, let us rather allow the Lord to direct our path, since we, in our fleshly state, are not capable of doing so (Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 10:23 NLT).

---Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets