Choosing to follow Jesus means choosing to build God’s kingdom instead of our own kingdom.

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.

What will you do with what’s been given to you?

1. Identify what God has given.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

2. Value what God has given.

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!’

The kingdom of God is measured by multiplication not accumulation.

3. What is God nudging you to do?

What was your childhood fantasy hope for fame?

- Can you see how a specific opportunity you took prepared you for where you are now?

- What would you say is your part in building God’s kingdom in this season of your life?

- When given a new opportunity how do you decide if you should go for it?

- How can we deal with the fear that keeps us from taking a step of faith?

In God’s kingdom, we can trust that he will open doors to opportunities that will match our abilities. Our responsibility is to answer the question: “What will I do with what’s been given to me?”

Write down what you see God has entrusted to you (specific privileges, responsibilities, and opportunities).

What is God nudging you to do that you can’t do without his help?

How can you move toward an opportunity you’ve recognized in a practical way this week?

Ask God to open our eyes to what is right in front of us and help us step into our purpose.