“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.” (Luke 19:17)
This scripture is hitting deep today. So many things are going on in the world and in our personal lives that we need to get a good, solid grip on the teaching Jesus is giving in this passage.
One of the scriptural teachings we often quote (and hear quoted) is that God will never give us more than we can handle. This usually comes in the throws of a Job moment of our lives – a health scare, a crisis of some sort. We comfort ourselves and others by saying things like, “Well, I guess God thinks I could handle this because you know the old saying, ‘God won’t give you more…’”. I’ve even heard ministers quote the old Hee Haw song, “If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.” The key is we always look at things from the negative. How sad.
Why do we, as Christians, approach life the same way the world around us does? We have every reason to be happy, every right to have joy, to be upbeat, to look at life with excitement and anticipation! Our future is secured (if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord), He gives us every good and perfect gift – including life itself, and He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He won’t abandon us in our problems like so many of our worldly “friends” will do. He has promised to walk right alongside us and show us the way to a life of blessing and abundance. We should not view things as the unsaved.
Do we still have problems? You’d better believe it! Do we still suffer heartache and sorrow? Certainly. Are we persecuted for our “Polly-Anna” outlook on things? You know we are. God never promised we wouldn’t have to face the “normal” things in life. We still have to pay the high gas prices, the grocery store is a drain to our finances, our kids still need braces, we still get pounded by telemarketers, and yes, we often face physical illnesses. Jesus forewarned us that in this world we would have tribulations (trials, challenges, and tight squeezes), but He went on to command us to fear not because He has already overcome all of these and more.
In our passage today Jesus teaches us how to handle – not what we have lost, but – what we have. Think back to the various scripture passages where the children of Israel were faced with life. One comes to mind: “What do you have in your house?” Don’t concentrate on what you have lost or had forcibly taken from you. What do you still have left that God can use? In the extreme, I can remember reading the testimony of someone who had suffered and accident and found themselves now a paraplegic. They could still move their head and eyes, could still speak. That became their focus. They used those few remaining abilites to praise God – even in that condition. Over time, God was able to raise them up and use them as a mighty voice for Him, an encouragement to others. That’s the extreme (in most peoples’ eyes). What about you? What abilities, what gifts, what material things do you still have with which you can begin to serve and worship Him? Some of the most uplifting stories you can read are of those who began with, literally, nothing, yet because of their spirit of praise, because of their attitude and determination, they were raised to a full and meaningful life – a message of hope and ministry to others.
One of the most precious commodities known to man, I have read, is trust. Money can be re-earned. Health can be restored. Things can be replaced. But trust, once broken, is difficult (at best) to earn back. If this is so with each other as mere humans, how much more is it with God? No, I’m not talking about our trusting God. I’m talking about Him trusting us! Can God trust you today? Think about that for a moment. What has He blessed you with that you treat with disdain or a “whatever” attitude? Has He given you breath this morning? Praise Him. Has He given you a heartbeat this morning? Praise Him. Has He given you sight this morning? Praise Him. Can you hear the birds singing outside? Praise Him. Has He given you a place to sleep? OK, maybe you slept in the park last night because you are homeless. Did you sleep last night in some measure of safety? Praise Him. These are the bare basics for which to praise God. Almost all of us have so much more for which to be thankful! We have jobs, we have homes (or apartments), we have cars, we have friends and family – the list goes on and on.
Today, however, God is presenting you an opportunity. No, this is no get-rich-quick scheme. This is a legitimate key to the blessings of God. Today God is offering you the opportunity to go beyond what you have now – to move up to the next level. So far He has entrusted you only so far because you have only shown Him appreciation and given Him worship at your level. You occasionally whisper a thank you when the car starts, you may say grace over your meal (when the pastor comes to visit), you let out a weak thank you after you have paid all the bills and still have a few dollars left. While these are good, they are very entry-level. God cannot and will not bless you with more because you haven’t shown Him that you are grateful for the little you have.
How can you move from the daily grind of just working to pay VISA, Ameren (or whomever your energy provider is), the mortgage, the groceries, etc? How can you show God you are worth so much more than this? How can you tell Him thank you for blessings you don’t even consciously realize you have? Give. First of all, do you tithe? That is top priority. If you aren’t even tithing that shows God you don’t even appreciate what He is doing for you right now. Sorry if that offends you, but that is the truth. Tithing is our way of thanking God (in obedience, I might add) for the blessings He is already providing in our lives. NO AMOUNT of giving to the Salvation Army, community soup kitchens, United Way, or anything else will replace the simple act of tithing. Period.
After you have given your tithe to the church you attend (or watch online if you are unable to attend in person), then begins the opportunity to plant seed toward your future harvest. If you attempt to bypass the tithe and simply give otherwise, your seed will rot in the ground or be stolen by the fowls of the air. That comes across harsh or mean, but that seems to be the teaching of scripture. The tithe anchors what we have in God, the subsequent giving we may do (offerings) are the seeds we plant for the future. The greater the sowing, the greater the harvest.
Stories abound of those who have given their way out of abject poverty – even those on food stamps and public aid. God doesn’t necessarily want to make you the next Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, but He isn’t against that either. I know I’ll catch a lot of feedback from this devotion today. That’s alright. Everything I share on here is straight from scriptural truths and the truth is God is teaching us through this passage today that He is interested – VERY interested – in equipping us to do so much more in our lives and through us than He is able to now. Those who speak to and for His glory have ever-increasing opportunities to have their voices heard. Those who sing to and for His glory find ever-increasing doors open for them to glorify God through their voices. Those who wisely govern over the affairs in their lives to and for His glory find themselves (like the man addressed in the verse above) given more responsibility and authority to rule and govern. And yes, those who give more to and for His glory find themselves blessed to be able to give and do more for Him with their resources. He can trust them.
Today I ask that simple question I referenced earlier: What do you have that you can give today? If you have spare food in your pantry, are you willing to give it to those less fortunate than you for the glory of God? Do you have clothes in your closet you haven’t worn in months or years? Will you give them to someone in need today – giving glory to God for that ability? Do you have spare, old cell phones laying around your house you no longer use? Would you be willing to donate them to a shelter for battered women that they could have a way to call for help if needed? Most of us have multiple Bibles lying around our houses that we never use. Even if they are older. Would you gladly give one of those to someone who doesn’t have a Bible at all? These are relatively painless ways for us to begin the habit of giving to others – they cost us little or nothing, yet they are vital for someone else’s survival. Think about it as you go about your business today. Be a blessing to someone. Millions around us are hurting. Be an answer to someone’s prayer today. Then watch God replace those things with more that you can be more of a blessing to others.
Be blessed, my friend.
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