Imagine that you’re minding two children. As they play, the younger one asks you to hold a dirty plastic pail. Awhile later the older one hands you a necklace that had been her grandmother’s. You wouldn’t worry too much about the toy, but you’d probably guard the jewelry with great care. The way we handle a possession reveals its value to us.

We see this principle in Jesus’ parable about the master who entrusted his workers with various sums of money. The two who invested theirs were later commended. Their efforts showed that they valued both the treasure and their master. A third worker, however, simply buried the amount he’d been given, and all he “earned” was a harsh rebuke.

Like these men, we are responsible for something of great worth. God has placed in our keeping the most powerful and precious message in existence—the gospel of Jesus. And we are accountable for what we do with it.

Do you feed on God’s Word daily and obey all it says? He has commanded us to share His life-saving message with a hurting and needy world. Whether we listen and obey reveals how much we value the gospel.