"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them...For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" (Matt 25:19,30) The story of duty and reward; talent and accountability; deployment and assessment; engagement and reckoning is a recurring theme in the messages of Jesus. In many occasions he told the same parable in many different forms. A man is traveling and he gives talents to his servants... A wealthy ruler is going on a journey and he gives responsibilities to his servants...all with the intension of driving home the fact that the life we are living today is a field of work. We have been assigned responsibilities, fields of work for which we shall be required to give account someday. The master made it clear that it wouldn't all be for being sake. There would be assessment - there would be a reckoning. The greatest challenge in life is to make sure that we are on the right side of that reckoning. .
After a long time, the lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them. No one knows for sure how long it was: ten years, fifty years, a hundred years... six thousand years? It just says after a long time. I reckon that as the long years went by it seemed like the master was no longer coming back. It seeemd like everything was now a pointless exercise. Those who weren't making good use of their talent began to mock those who were, for taking the whole "church" thing too serious. I reckon it was just as it is today in our time. Most people possibly lost sight of the fact that they have been given an assigment to fulfill. But After a long time... it didn't matter that it took long, what mattered was that it came. The day of reckoning is coming. Don't let the delay fool you. Don't assume that because it hasn't come, it wouldn't come. You have to live in expectancy of that great day of reckoning because it will surely come. The question is are you ready? What have you been doing with your time and talent now that you are alive? May God help us!