Greater than Grateful: Responsible Wk1
November 8, 2020

Greater than Grateful

Week One - “Responsible”
Matthew 25:14-30


Grateful is a really great thing -
“Let us enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4)
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18)

Too often, our gratitude begins and ends with

.

What if there is something greater than grateful???

Context - Jesus is talking about what it will be like when He returns and he tells a story about a Master returning and settling accounts with his servants…

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.18 But the man who had received one bag 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 man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. 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. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; 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. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ —Matthew 25:14-30


Faithful, in this context, is another word for

.

What are you doing with what you have been given?
Being grateful for what you’ve been given is a great start - but if the Master shares something with you, it’s because it’s useful.

**Responsibility takes what we have and focuses it on something greater for someone and something bigger than ourselves.

What you have matters way less than what you do with it.
*We have lots of opinions about what other people should do with what they have. But what are you doing with what you have?

Gratitude is good, but it becomes great when it gives birth to responsibility. Our efforts shouldn’t come from obligation, but gratitude!

Be grateful - and take it to the next level!!!