The Five Colossal Mistakes of a Wicked Man (#4)

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"Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant." (Luke 19:22).

Today we continue our look into the story Jesus told about a man who was given a gift, and then expected to use it in a such a way as to bring honor to the one who gave him the gift. The man failed miserably by making five colossal mistakes. We have discussed the first three, now we'll look at the fourth one. My purpose is to help insure that you and I do not follow his example and squander the gifts and the great opportunities the which the Lord has given us.

Colossal Mistake No.4 -- He Blew his Opportunity

The Lord ignored the man’s insults and turned the argument back upon him. “Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?”

The issue here is what did you do with what you were given? The Master doesn't defend himself; he doesn't correct the man's false perceptions about him. Rather, he confronts the deeper issue -- the man blew his opportunity. Regardless of what he thought about his master, he still had the chance to do something good with what he had.

Your life matters to God. He did not haphazardly create you, nor randomly drop you into the gene pool of life. He created you with a purpose, and He has good reason to expect good returns on His investment in you.

This man blew his chance. Don’t make the same mistake! His sobering failure stares each one of us squarely in the face, serving as a warning lest we let our own opportunities slip by unappreciated and unused.
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