The Three Servants

Jesus told a story about a rich man going on a trip.

Before leaving, he called three servants. 'Take care of my money while I'm gone.'

To the first servant, he gave FIVE bags of gold. To the second, TWO bags. To the third, ONE bag. Then he left.

The first servant got to work! He invested the money, started a business, worked hard. Soon he had TEN bags of gold—double what he started with!

The second servant did the same thing. He worked hard and turned two bags into FOUR bags!

But the third servant was scared. 'What if I lose the money?' So he dug a hole and BURIED his bag of gold. There it sat, doing nothing.

Finally, the master came home.

The first servant said, 'Master! You gave me five bags. Look—I made five MORE!'

'WELL DONE!' said the master. 'You were faithful with a little. Now I'll give you MORE responsibility! Come celebrate with me!'

The second servant said, 'You gave me two bags. I made two more!'

'WELL DONE! Come celebrate!'

Then the third servant came. 'Master, I was scared. So I buried your gold. Here it is. I didn't lose it!'

The master was NOT happy. 'You lazy servant! You could have at least put it in the bank to earn interest! Give your gold to the first servant!'

The lesson? God gives each of us talents—abilities, time, opportunities. He wants us to USE them for Him, not hide them! When we're faithful with what God gives us, He trusts us with even more!