Matthew 25:24-25 – “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man… So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.’”
Reflection: Fear of failure is a potential crippler in the journey of faith. In the parable of the Talents, the Master distributes his wealth to his three servants, expecting them to use the endowment well while he is away. The first two step out to trade with what the master trusts, while the third servant allows fear to limit his actions. Instead of venturing with the talent he received, he hides it. He is afraid of losing the talent in his care. Fear will lead anyone who succumbs to it to inaction; fear imagines nothing will turn out well.
God’s definition of success differs from the world’s success standards. He simply expects us to be faithful stewards. When a steward is faithful, he will step out of the boat and depend on wisdom from above, trusting that the Lord will give him the increase. God expects our trust and obedience, not perfection. It is easy to believe that He expects perfection from us when all He truly desires is our trust and obedience. Reflect today to discern where your fear of failure may be holding you back. Are there gifts or opportunities you neglect because you fear failure?
Remember, not many of those called by God are wise and mighty; He calls the foolish and the weak to show forth His glory through them while being with them every step of the way. Do not let fear rob you of the opportunity to use your gifts for His glory.
Prayer: Father, replace my fear with faith. Help me to step out boldly and trust that You will guide me as I use the gifts You’ve given me. Amen.
Action Step: Identify one fear that prevents you from using your gifts. Pray over it, then take a step forward today.
Scripture: Matthew 25:14-15 – “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.”
Reflection: God’s entrusted us with all we have, both as privilege and responsibility. In the parable of the Talents, the master, before his journey, entrusted his servants with his wealth according to their individual abilities. God has similarly entrusted us with talents, abilities, time, and opportunities. He did not give us anything arbitrarily. He considered, with the giving, our capacity to steward them well. When we recognize that what we have was entrusted to us by God, our approach to daily living will change significantly. We will stop viewing our abilities as personal assets and start to see them as divine investments in us. It is time to ask ourselves if we use our gifts to honour God. We sometimes belittle what God gave us, thinking they are too small or insignificant to make a difference. That approach to living forgets that what we have is a part of all that belongs to God. God, however, does not measure success not by the size of the gift but by our faithfulness in its use. We need to reflect on the unique talents and opportunities in our lives. Are we maximizing them for God’s glory, or are we allowing them to remain unused? Remember, we will one day render our accounts to God on how we used the gifts He entrusted to us.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see the gifts You’ve entrusted to me. Give me the courage and wisdom to use them for Your glory. Amen.
Action Step: Write down one gift or talent you believe God has given you. Think of one practical way to use it this week.
In a world that prizes hard work and effort, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that everything depends on us. We celebrate the worker who endures long hours, the one who goes above and beyond. But when it comes to serving God and His kingdom, there’s a deeper truth at play—one that shifts our focus from sheer effort to faith in what God has already accomplished.
In John 4:38, Jesus said, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” This statement challenges our instinct to rely solely on our own strength. The harvest we step into isn’t the result of our effort alone—it’s the culmination of God’s ongoing work, one that began long before we entered the field.
Faith Over Hard Work
In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a farmer who scatters seed. After planting, the farmer goes about his daily life, sleeping and rising while the seed grows—though he doesn’t understand how. When the harvest comes, it’s ready because God has brought it to fruition, not because the farmer made it grow. This parable beautifully illustrates a truth we often overlook: the results we seek don’t come from how hard we work, but from trusting in God’s power to bring about the harvest.
That doesn’t mean we’re passive bystanders. There is still sowing to be done, still work to do, but the growth? The increase? That belongs to God. Our calling is to be faithful and diligent, but with a mindset grounded in faith, not striving. We’re called to a different kind of diligence—one that doesn’t conform to human standards of success or productivity. It’s a diligence anchored in trust, knowing that the Lord of the harvest is already at work, and that He will bring the increase in His perfect time.
The Problem with Glorifying Hard Work
One of the dangers of glorifying hard work is that it places the spotlight on us, the workers, instead of on God. When we start to believe that everything depends on our effort, we shift the focus away from the One who is truly in control. We begin to take pride in what we’re doing, forgetting that our labor is part of a larger story—one that God is orchestrating.
In John 5:17-19, Jesus says something remarkable: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” But He follows this by clarifying that the Son can do nothing by Himself; He does only what He sees His Father doing. Jesus—the perfect example of a servant—knew that His work flowed from the Father’s. He wasn’t working to prove Himself or to gain recognition; He was working in step with God’s will, knowing that His labor was part of a bigger plan.
This is the mindset we’re called to adopt. Our work isn’t about proving our worth or earning God’s approval—it’s about joining Him in what He’s already doing. When we approach it from this perspective, our labor becomes lighter. We’re no longer burdened by the need to make everything happen ourselves. Instead, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s plan is unfolding, and we’re simply playing our part.
Entering Into What’s Already Done
When we realize that we’re stepping into a work that’s already completed in Christ, our perspective changes. The pressure to make things happen on our own fades away, and we can labor with a sense of peace and purpose. We’re not starting from scratch; we’re stepping into a story that God has already written, a field that He has already prepared.
Until we embrace this truth, our work will always feel like an endless grind. But when we begin to see that the harvest is ready—because of God’s work, not our own—we can labor with joy and expectancy. We’re not the ones who make the harvest happen; we’re the ones who gather it in.
Jesus reminded us in Matthew 9:37 that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” This isn’t a call for more hard work—it’s a call for more workers to join in what God has already prepared. It’s an invitation to step into a harvest that is ready to be reaped, not because of our effort, but because of God’s faithfulness.
A Shift in Mentality
The Lord is calling us to embrace a new mentality—one rooted in faith rather than toil. This doesn’t mean we stop working. On the contrary, it means we work with a sense of purpose, knowing that the results don’t rest on our shoulders. We are partners with God, working in step with His Spirit, trusting that He is the one who brings the increase.
When we let go of the need to prove ourselves through our efforts, we begin to see the bigger picture. It’s not about us; it’s about Him. Our work is not the source of the harvest—God is. And as we align ourselves with His plan, we find that our labor is not in vain, but part of something far greater than we could ever accomplish on our own.
The harvest is plentiful, and God is calling us to gather it in. Not by striving, but by faith. Not by our strength, but by His. When we understand this, we enter into the joy of working with God—not just for Him—and we see the fruit of His finished work all around us.
The displays of carnality are becoming increasingly severe and wholly uncalled for. While concerned, my heart aches more for the human worshippers who defend their heroes and idols while condemning those with differing opinions.
“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16:15)
We live in a time when judgments according to the flesh have taken precedence. We respond first to what we see and feel, often making stops at the first bus stop that the flesh and nature find useful instead of progressing to where the Spirit and the Word dictate. We claim to be discerning, but in the crises of the soul, the flesh holds the sway. If the words and analyses sound spiritual and appealing and are from someone with a recognized name, paralysis happens to the minds that should be renewed and discerning.
Does anyone pause amidst these fleshly manifestations to ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” or “But what does Scripture say?”
The act of correcting has become fleshly on the one hand, while fleshly arrogance flaunts itself on the other. Our concerns are misplaced. We fight more for human idols and earthly fathers than for taking a righteous stand for the Lord and the Father of our spirits. Visible results now shape our teachings or doctrines (many of us now resent the word doctrine even though we have it all over the New Testament writings), not the foundations from the scriptures.
We cannot crusade for Him in the flesh; neither can those standing before Him be justified by what appeals to the eyes. The way to go is now subject to the whims and caprices of human zeal.
Opinions have supplanted the true contending for the faith, and labels have overshadowed the emphasis on the integrity of Scripture.
How did we arrive at this juncture?
When I first read Nkem Nwakwo’s satirical novel, “My Mercedes is Bigger Than Yours,” before the mid-80s, I never imagined that such a syndrome would characterize the Church someday.
When I read Peter and James in their polemics, I never foresaw a time when contending for the faith would be overtaken by the fleshly lack of self-control of constant naming and labelling when we preach the word.
We need to pause now and then to conduct self-examination or a reality check. “If we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged.”
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; the corruptible cannot represent the incorruptible.
This syndrome is spiralling out of control. If any act of service is truly of the Spirit, we should recognize it by the fruit of the Spirit.
If our benchmark or touchstone comes from humans or the impressive things they have done, aren’t we already flawed?
If our eyes are on Jesus, we will walk in step with His Spirit.
The standard of Christ does not bend to the whims of humans.
May the good Lord help us as we serve on this side of eternity.
Suppose our yardstick is the human definition of success, and every opinion is valid because someone has pushed boundaries with it. In that case, our god might be the one we forged from the human doctrine of pragmatism or the “mammon” of human accomplishment rather than the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy. Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Revelation 22:11-12)
You criticize the wealthy and paradoxically desire their success, forgetting that you should direct your frustration at your own choices.
You blame them for being capitalists while ignoring that your reluctance or failure to take risks and boldly pursue your dreams is why just a few, the 5%, own most of the wealth on earth.
You gave the space over to them by your choice and limited their holdings to their percentage of the world’s population.
Reflect on your reservations and understand that overcoming them is the key to changing your financial reality.
At the crossroads of opportunity, be ready to always take a bold step towards new beginnings and the realization of your dream, and let others live.
Isaac Boluwatise 
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