Text: Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT)
14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Here are eight key learning points from the Parable of the Talents in the Bible that children can understand (Matthew 25:14-30):
•Utilize Your Gifts: God gives each of us talents and abilities. We should use them wisely, not waste them.
•Work Diligently: Just like the servants in the story, we should actively engage in work that glorifies God, serves others, and furthers His Kingdom.
•Be Responsible: The master entrusted different amounts of talents to each servant. We must be responsible stewards of what we’ve been given.
•Faithfulness Leads to Reward: The servants who used their talents well were rewarded. Our faithfulness matters to God.
•Avoid Fear and Laziness: The third servant was afraid and buried his talent. We should overcome fear and laziness to make the most of what God has given us.
•Risk-Taking: The first two servants took risks by investing their talents. Stepping out of our comfort zone by the leading and direction of the Holy-Spirit leads to growth.
•God Provides What We Need: The master provided the talents. God equips us with what we need for our journey.
•Bless Others: Our gifts are tools to build others up. We’re entrusted with using them to bless those around us
Remember, God provides what we need, and our gifts are tools to build others up.
