Ready to Account for Your Life?
Ready to Account for Your Life?
We have just witnessed the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan. About 3 billion people watched it worldwide. This is the last wedding of its kind for a long time up to 30 years. This could also be the last royal wedding before the real majestic wedding of the bride of Christ. Are we ready? Notice that this wedding is the first to bring more races and nations together. Also a powerful gospel message was preached to the whole world – the redemptive power of love.
Soon and very soon, Christ is coming again for His bride, the Church. In anticipation of His soon return, Jesus gives us a parable on how to occupy and be ready until he comes. The parable of the talents, is again like the previous two that emphasize being faithful to the very end. There is no room for the fearful and lazy person who says, ‘God did not give me enough to do what I am supposed to do’. We have been gifted according to our abilities and enablement of the Holy Spirit. We must give accounting to our maker, creator and giver.
Let’s read Matthew 25:14-30:
The Parable of the Talents
14 “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. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Notice that the first two servants trusted their master and understood that he had given them the best. They said to themselves, ‘God, you are good and you always have your best interest for me.’ They were not comparing their two to the five talents of each other. Their goal and aim is to “Enter into the joy of your lord.” The Lord is their joy not things they do or have.
The wicked servant indicted himself. “I was afraid’. Where there is fear, there is no trust. Likewise, where there is lack of trust, there is fear in abundance. This is true in every relationship between God and humans and humans to humans. The scripture teaches us that perfect love casts out fear. Don’t hide what God has given you for others. It’s wicked to withhold and bury what God gave you for others. He has given you Himself on the cross.
If we are going to fulfill all that God has for us for our generation, we must embrace the love of the Father and love others. It is hard to invest and sow into the life of one you are afraid of and lack love for. Our fear is a camouflage for our hardness towards God and people. We must replace fear with faith in God who has called us and made us sufficient for the tasks on hand as parents, students, co-workers, neighbors etc. Give what you have not what you don’t have.
Until our love for people exceed our fears for people, we will only be paying lip service to the command to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Who are you afraid of reaching? Let’s pray that God will give us love for those people even when they are so different from us. God says to us every day and hour, "Fear not." because He is forever with us.
Are you ready to give accounting to the Lord? May the Lord help us. “15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:15-18 (NLT). Amen!
Today, be and make increase in someone’s life to help them draw closer to God by your love and action. Cause someone to praise and thank God today.
We have just witnessed the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan. About 3 billion people watched it worldwide. This is the last wedding of its kind for a long time up to 30 years. This could also be the last royal wedding before the real majestic wedding of the bride of Christ. Are we ready? Notice that this wedding is the first to bring more races and nations together. Also a powerful gospel message was preached to the whole world – the redemptive power of love.
Soon and very soon, Christ is coming again for His bride, the Church. In anticipation of His soon return, Jesus gives us a parable on how to occupy and be ready until he comes. The parable of the talents, is again like the previous two that emphasize being faithful to the very end. There is no room for the fearful and lazy person who says, ‘God did not give me enough to do what I am supposed to do’. We have been gifted according to our abilities and enablement of the Holy Spirit. We must give accounting to our maker, creator and giver.
Let’s read Matthew 25:14-30:
The Parable of the Talents
14 “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. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Notice that the first two servants trusted their master and understood that he had given them the best. They said to themselves, ‘God, you are good and you always have your best interest for me.’ They were not comparing their two to the five talents of each other. Their goal and aim is to “Enter into the joy of your lord.” The Lord is their joy not things they do or have.
The wicked servant indicted himself. “I was afraid’. Where there is fear, there is no trust. Likewise, where there is lack of trust, there is fear in abundance. This is true in every relationship between God and humans and humans to humans. The scripture teaches us that perfect love casts out fear. Don’t hide what God has given you for others. It’s wicked to withhold and bury what God gave you for others. He has given you Himself on the cross.
If we are going to fulfill all that God has for us for our generation, we must embrace the love of the Father and love others. It is hard to invest and sow into the life of one you are afraid of and lack love for. Our fear is a camouflage for our hardness towards God and people. We must replace fear with faith in God who has called us and made us sufficient for the tasks on hand as parents, students, co-workers, neighbors etc. Give what you have not what you don’t have.
Until our love for people exceed our fears for people, we will only be paying lip service to the command to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Who are you afraid of reaching? Let’s pray that God will give us love for those people even when they are so different from us. God says to us every day and hour, "Fear not." because He is forever with us.
Are you ready to give accounting to the Lord? May the Lord help us. “15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:15-18 (NLT). Amen!
Today, be and make increase in someone’s life to help them draw closer to God by your love and action. Cause someone to praise and thank God today.
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