How are we supposed to serve? What are we supposed to be doing as a follower of Christ? What’s expected of us? All good questions and ones have I asked myself many times. For the best answers we should always go to the answer book and see what it has to say and better yet, maybe go right to what Jesus had to say in one of his many Parables.
This year we are reading through the New Testament (if you haven’t started it’s not too late, just pick up a reading plan. It will be worth your time). We started in the book of Luke and Luke likes to tell us the facts about what was going on during this time and relate a lot of Jesus’ teaching and interaction with the religious leaders, His followers, and the people He met. The reading plan has us read each set of verses up to 5 times each week. One day of the week you are asked to meditate on the reading, so I find myself praying through the verses.
This brings me to the Parable of the King’s ten servants in Luke 19 starting at verse 11. Jesus tells of a man of noble birth who must go away because he is called to be king. So he calls ten of his servants and gives them some money to put to work while he is gone. Some people did not want him to be king, so they tried to stop it, but he became king and returned to his servants to see what they did with the money (gifts) they had been given. One of them had doubled the money and he was rewarded with much more and received praise for his work. The second made only half as much as the first, but also received a reward. The third out of fear hid the money and did not do anything with it. His money was taken away and given to the one who had doubled his. He was also called an enemy of the king and was killed.
Sometimes Parables are not easy to understand and there are many sub stories that can be found in them. But after reading, thinking about, studying, and praying on this one, I think this is what God is trying to tell me at this time.
Jesus was called to be the King and we are waiting for His return. During this time, we have been given resources and talents to help build and expand God’s Kingdom. Jesus expects us to use these talents, so they multiply and grow the kingdom. He will ask each of us for an account of what we have done with the talents we have been given.
I pray that I am not like the one who hid his talents. I ask that the Holy Spirit gives me a heart for the lost like Jesus had. That I trust my Master, humble myself and use the gifts given to me to expand the kingdom until the King returns.
Tim