Matthew 25:14 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to...

25:14 MSG

逐节对照

The Message - “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
新标点和合本 - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
和合本2010（上帝版-简体） - “天国又好比一个人要出外远行，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们。
和合本2010（神版-简体） - “天国又好比一个人要出外远行，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们。
当代译本 - “天国就像一个人即将远行，他召来自己的奴仆，把产业托付给他们，
圣经新译本 - “天国又像一个人要出外远行，就叫自己的仆人来，把产业交给他们。
中文标准译本 - “天国又好比一个人要出外旅行，就叫来自己的奴仆们，把他所拥有的交托给他们。
现代标点和合本 - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
和合本（拼音版） - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
New International Version - “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
New International Reader's Version - “Again, here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like. A man was going on a journey. He sent for his slaves and put them in charge of his money.
English Standard Version - “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
New Living Translation - “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.
Christian Standard Bible - “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
New American Standard Bible - “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
New King James Version - “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
Amplified Bible - “For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions.
American Standard Version - For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
King James Version - For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
New English Translation - “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.
World English Bible - “For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.
新標點和合本 - 「天國又好比一個人要往外國去，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們，
和合本2010（上帝版-繁體） - 「天國又好比一個人要出外遠行，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們。
和合本2010（神版-繁體） - 「天國又好比一個人要出外遠行，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們。
當代譯本 - 「天國就像一個人即將遠行，他召來自己的奴僕，把產業託付給他們，
聖經新譯本 - “天國又像一個人要出外遠行，就叫自己的僕人來，把產業交給他們。
呂振中譯本 - 『就像一個人要出外去，叫了他的奴僕來，把資財交給他們；
中文標準譯本 - 「天國又好比一個人要出外旅行，就叫來自己的奴僕們，把他所擁有的交託給他們。
現代標點和合本 - 「天國又好比一個人要往外國去，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們，
文理和合譯本 - 又如一人將往他方、召其僕以家資付之、
文理委辦譯本 - 又如一人、將往異地、召僕以所有者予之、
施約瑟淺文理新舊約聖經 - 又如一人將往異地、召僕、以家貲付之、
吳經熊文理聖詠與新經全集 - 昔有人焉、將遠行、召其諸僕、託以家貲、
Nueva Versión Internacional - »El reino de los cielos será también como un hombre que, al emprender un viaje, llamó a sus siervos y les encargó sus bienes.
현대인의 성경 - “또 하늘 나라는 여행을 떠나면서 종들을 불러 자기 재산을 맡긴 사람과 같다.
Новый Русский Перевод - Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далекое путешествие, созвал своих слуг и поручил им свое имущество.
Восточный перевод - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
Восточный перевод, версия с «Аллахом» - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
Восточный перевод, версия для Таджикистана - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
La Bible du Semeur 2015 - Il en sera comme d’un homme qui partit pour un voyage : il convoqua ses serviteurs et leur confia l’administration de ses biens.
リビングバイブル - 天の御国はまた、他国へ出かけたある人のようです。彼は出発前に、使用人たちを呼び、『さあ、元手をやるから、これで留守中に商売をしなさい』と、それぞれにお金を預けました。
Nestle Aland 28 - Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ,
unfoldingWord® Greek New Testament - ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν, ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους, καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ.
Nova Versão Internacional - “E também será como um homem que, ao sair de viagem, chamou seus servos e confiou-lhes os seus bens.
Hoffnung für alle - »Es wird dann so sein wie bei einem Mann, der vorhatte, ins Ausland zu reisen. Er rief alle seine Verwalter zusammen und vertraute ihnen sein Vermögen an. Sie sollten während seiner Abwesenheit gut damit wirtschaften.
Kinh Thánh Hiện Đại - “Nước Trời cũng giống trường hợp người chủ sắp lên đường viễn du, gọi các đầy tớ vào, ủy thác cho họ tài sản mình.
พระคริสตธรรมคัมภีร์ไทย ฉบับอมตธรรมร่วมสมัย - “และอาณาจักรสวรรค์ยังเปรียบเหมือนชายคนหนึ่งจะออกเดินทาง จึงเรียกคนรับใช้มามอบหมายทรัพย์สินให้ดูแล
พระคัมภีร์ ฉบับแปลใหม่ - และยังเปรียบเสมือนชายคนหนึ่งที่ออกเดินทางไป เขาเรียกบรรดาผู้รับใช้มาเพื่อให้ดูแลทรัพย์สมบัติของเขา

交叉引用

Luke 20:9 - Jesus told another story to the people: “A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time. In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black-and-blue, and sent him off empty-handed. He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street.
1 Corinthians 3:5 - Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.
Romans 12:6 - If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. * * *
Matthew 21:33 - “Here’s another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.
Matthew 25:14 - “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
Matthew 25:19 - “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
Matthew 25:22 - “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
Matthew 25:24 - “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
Matthew 25:26 - “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
Matthew 25:28 - “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’
1 Corinthians 4:1 - Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
Luke 16:1 - Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You’re fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.’
Luke 16:3 - “The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? I’ve lost my job as manager. I’m not strong enough for a laboring job, and I’m too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what I’ll do . . . then when I’m turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.’
Luke 16:5 - “Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
Luke 16:6 - “He replied, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ “The manager said, ‘Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.’
Luke 16:7 - “To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’ “He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’ “He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’
Luke 16:8 - “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
Luke 16:10 - Jesus went on to make these comments: If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things. If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: He’ll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
1 Corinthians 12:4 - God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: wise counsel clear understanding simple trust healing the sick miraculous acts proclamation distinguishing between spirits tongues interpretation of tongues. All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
1 Corinthians 12:12 - You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
1 Corinthians 12:14 - I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, transparent and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
1 Corinthians 12:19 - But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
1 Corinthians 12:25 - The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
1 Corinthians 12:27 - You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”: apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues. But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.
Luke 19:12 - “There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ‘Operate with this until I return.’
Luke 19:14 - “But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: ‘We don’t want this man to rule us.’
Luke 19:15 - “When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.
Luke 19:16 - “The first said, ‘Master, I doubled your money.’
Luke 19:17 - “He said, ‘Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been trustworthy in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.’
Luke 19:18 - “The second said, ‘Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.’
Luke 19:19 - “He said, ‘I’m putting you in charge of five towns.’
Luke 19:20 - “The next servant said, ‘Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don’t suffer fools gladly.’
Luke 19:22 - “He said, ‘You’re right that I don’t suffer fools gladly—and you’ve acted the fool! Why didn’t you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?’
Luke 19:24 - “Then he said to those standing there, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.’
Luke 19:25 - “They said, ‘But Master, he already has double . . .’
Luke 19:26 - “He said, ‘That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.
Luke 19:27 - “‘As for these enemies of mine who petitioned against my rule, clear them out of here. I don’t want to see their faces around here again.’”

逐节对照

交叉引用

The Message - “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
新标点和合本 - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
和合本2010（上帝版-简体） - “天国又好比一个人要出外远行，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们。
和合本2010（神版-简体） - “天国又好比一个人要出外远行，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们。
当代译本 - “天国就像一个人即将远行，他召来自己的奴仆，把产业托付给他们，
圣经新译本 - “天国又像一个人要出外远行，就叫自己的仆人来，把产业交给他们。
中文标准译本 - “天国又好比一个人要出外旅行，就叫来自己的奴仆们，把他所拥有的交托给他们。
现代标点和合本 - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
和合本（拼音版） - “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们，
New International Version - “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
New International Reader's Version - “Again, here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like. A man was going on a journey. He sent for his slaves and put them in charge of his money.
English Standard Version - “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
New Living Translation - “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.
Christian Standard Bible - “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
New American Standard Bible - “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
New King James Version - “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
Amplified Bible - “For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions.
American Standard Version - For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
King James Version - For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
New English Translation - “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.
World English Bible - “For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.
新標點和合本 - 「天國又好比一個人要往外國去，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們，
和合本2010（上帝版-繁體） - 「天國又好比一個人要出外遠行，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們。
和合本2010（神版-繁體） - 「天國又好比一個人要出外遠行，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們。
當代譯本 - 「天國就像一個人即將遠行，他召來自己的奴僕，把產業託付給他們，
聖經新譯本 - “天國又像一個人要出外遠行，就叫自己的僕人來，把產業交給他們。
呂振中譯本 - 『就像一個人要出外去，叫了他的奴僕來，把資財交給他們；
中文標準譯本 - 「天國又好比一個人要出外旅行，就叫來自己的奴僕們，把他所擁有的交託給他們。
現代標點和合本 - 「天國又好比一個人要往外國去，就叫了僕人來，把他的家業交給他們，
文理和合譯本 - 又如一人將往他方、召其僕以家資付之、
文理委辦譯本 - 又如一人、將往異地、召僕以所有者予之、
施約瑟淺文理新舊約聖經 - 又如一人將往異地、召僕、以家貲付之、
吳經熊文理聖詠與新經全集 - 昔有人焉、將遠行、召其諸僕、託以家貲、
Nueva Versión Internacional - »El reino de los cielos será también como un hombre que, al emprender un viaje, llamó a sus siervos y les encargó sus bienes.
현대인의 성경 - “또 하늘 나라는 여행을 떠나면서 종들을 불러 자기 재산을 맡긴 사람과 같다.
Новый Русский Перевод - Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далекое путешествие, созвал своих слуг и поручил им свое имущество.
Восточный перевод - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
Восточный перевод, версия с «Аллахом» - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
Восточный перевод, версия для Таджикистана - – Тогда будет, как у того человека, который, отправляясь в далёкое путешествие, созвал своих рабов и поручил им своё имущество.
La Bible du Semeur 2015 - Il en sera comme d’un homme qui partit pour un voyage : il convoqua ses serviteurs et leur confia l’administration de ses biens.
リビングバイブル - 天の御国はまた、他国へ出かけたある人のようです。彼は出発前に、使用人たちを呼び、『さあ、元手をやるから、これで留守中に商売をしなさい』と、それぞれにお金を預けました。
Nestle Aland 28 - Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ,
unfoldingWord® Greek New Testament - ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν, ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους, καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ.
Nova Versão Internacional - “E também será como um homem que, ao sair de viagem, chamou seus servos e confiou-lhes os seus bens.
Hoffnung für alle - »Es wird dann so sein wie bei einem Mann, der vorhatte, ins Ausland zu reisen. Er rief alle seine Verwalter zusammen und vertraute ihnen sein Vermögen an. Sie sollten während seiner Abwesenheit gut damit wirtschaften.
Kinh Thánh Hiện Đại - “Nước Trời cũng giống trường hợp người chủ sắp lên đường viễn du, gọi các đầy tớ vào, ủy thác cho họ tài sản mình.
พระคริสตธรรมคัมภีร์ไทย ฉบับอมตธรรมร่วมสมัย - “และอาณาจักรสวรรค์ยังเปรียบเหมือนชายคนหนึ่งจะออกเดินทาง จึงเรียกคนรับใช้มามอบหมายทรัพย์สินให้ดูแล
พระคัมภีร์ ฉบับแปลใหม่ - และยังเปรียบเสมือนชายคนหนึ่งที่ออกเดินทางไป เขาเรียกบรรดาผู้รับใช้มาเพื่อให้ดูแลทรัพย์สมบัติของเขา

Luke 20:9 - Jesus told another story to the people: “A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time. In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black-and-blue, and sent him off empty-handed. He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street.
1 Corinthians 3:5 - Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.
Romans 12:6 - If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. * * *
Matthew 21:33 - “Here’s another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.
Matthew 25:14 - “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
Matthew 25:19 - “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
Matthew 25:22 - “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
Matthew 25:24 - “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
Matthew 25:26 - “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
Matthew 25:28 - “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’
1 Corinthians 4:1 - Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
Luke 16:1 - Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You’re fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.’
Luke 16:3 - “The manager said to himself, ‘What am I going to do? I’ve lost my job as manager. I’m not strong enough for a laboring job, and I’m too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I’ve got a plan. Here’s what I’ll do . . . then when I’m turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.’
Luke 16:5 - “Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
Luke 16:6 - “He replied, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ “The manager said, ‘Here, take your bill, sit down here—quick now—write fifty.’
Luke 16:7 - “To the next he said, ‘And you, what do you owe?’ “He answered, ‘A hundred sacks of wheat.’ “He said, ‘Take your bill, write in eighty.’
Luke 16:8 - “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
Luke 16:10 - Jesus went on to make these comments: If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things. If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: He’ll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank.
1 Corinthians 12:4 - God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: wise counsel clear understanding simple trust healing the sick miraculous acts proclamation distinguishing between spirits tongues interpretation of tongues. All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.
1 Corinthians 12:12 - You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
1 Corinthians 12:14 - I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, transparent and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
1 Corinthians 12:19 - But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
1 Corinthians 12:25 - The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
1 Corinthians 12:27 - You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”: apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues. But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.
Luke 19:12 - “There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ‘Operate with this until I return.’
Luke 19:14 - “But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: ‘We don’t want this man to rule us.’
Luke 19:15 - “When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.
Luke 19:16 - “The first said, ‘Master, I doubled your money.’
Luke 19:17 - “He said, ‘Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been trustworthy in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.’
Luke 19:18 - “The second said, ‘Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.’
Luke 19:19 - “He said, ‘I’m putting you in charge of five towns.’
Luke 19:20 - “The next servant said, ‘Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don’t suffer fools gladly.’
Luke 19:22 - “He said, ‘You’re right that I don’t suffer fools gladly—and you’ve acted the fool! Why didn’t you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?’
Luke 19:24 - “Then he said to those standing there, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.’
Luke 19:25 - “They said, ‘But Master, he already has double . . .’
Luke 19:26 - “He said, ‘That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.
Luke 19:27 - “‘As for these enemies of mine who petitioned against my rule, clear them out of here. I don’t want to see their faces around here again.’”