Message in a Bottle

READ: Matthew 25:14-30

The Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones.

The title of this devo gives you the mental image of a bottle bobbing in the deep blue, right? Prepare for an altered image!

A builder from England discovered his bottle-with-a-surprise beneath a fireplace he was renovating. While working on a cottage in Southampton, Richard Curtis found the vessel, which contained a note that read: “To whoever finds this message—please return it to me for a reward of 2/6d—Naida Willis 1955.”

The 2/6d stands for half a crown—a former silver coin used in the UK. Naida, who was 7 at the time, is now 55.

Her father, George Parsons, began the mystery back in ‘55. He had been working on a carpentry job in the cottage and stuffed the message in the bottle to honor his daughter. When he got home, he placed the half-a-crown coin in a box for safekeeping.

When Richard Curtis called him to collect his treasure, Parsons was relieved. “I’m glad it’s been found at last. I’ve kept the half a crown all this time and I’ve never forgotten the note I wrote.”

When generous George tucked away his silver coin, he was hoping someone would someday claim it. In Matthew 25, we read about a guy who hid his silver—about 75 pounds of it—for a very different reason.

A servant was given the money to invest for his master (Matthew 25:18). But he didn’t have faith in his boss and wasn’t sure he would return. Instead of placing the money with a bank to earn interest in his master’s name, he dug a hole and hid the treasure—hoping that one day he could claim it for his own. Bad mistake!

What has God given you that you’re hiding away? Your time, your talents, your gifts, and your resources are His. He wants you to use them faithfully.

Make no mistake. Our Master, Jesus, will return one day. Will He find you pouring out all you have for Him—not bottling it up or keeping it buried? May you hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (v.21). It’s all about being faithful. —Tom Felten

REFLECTION

• How have I been showing my faithfulness to God?
• In what way does my life lack the “faithful servant” look? What will I do about it?

Be faithful with what God gave you.

campus journal