Wasted Talents: Missed Opportunities

Over the past three weeks, we’ve discovered what it means to live entrusted by God. We’ve seen that everything we have is from Him, that He entrusts us with intention, and that faithfulness—not flashiness—is what He celebrates when the Master returns.

But Jesus doesn’t end the parable there. He adds a sobering final chapter—the servant who buried his talent. The one who did nothing. The one who wasted what was entrusted to him.

This part of the parable is a warning and a wake-up call. Fear may feel safe, but it leads to regret. Complacency may feel comfortable, but it costs us joy. The tragedy of the third servant wasn’t how little he had, but that he chose to do nothing with it.

This week we’ll wrestle with the questions:

How does fear rob us of purpose?

Why is wasted potential still disobedience?

And what is the joy that faithfulness brings compared to the loss of neglect?

The heart of the message is simple but urgent: Don’t bury what God gave you. Don’t waste what’s been entrusted to you. Your life was made for Kingdom impact, not just survival.

As we close this series, we’re invited to make it personal:

What will I do with what God has entrusted to me?

Will I live in fear—or walk in faith?

Will I make excuses—or take the first faithful step?

The Master will return. And joy awaits the faithful.