"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
O Beloved, our Father wants us to be “awakened” to our stewardship. He doesn’t want us to squander away what we have because we’ve given no thought to the account we will one day give to God. In Luke 19, verses 13 through 15, Jesus depicts himself as the “nobleman” who went away; however the parable makes it clear: He will return; and when He does, there will be an accounting for what He gave His followers. Let’s finish this parable from Luke 19…
Do you get the picture? What you sow, you reap! You are rewarded according to your faithfulness, your stewardship. Did you notice how a man can reason his way into excuses and yet how easily God can fault the bad reasoning? You can make excuses, but they won’t hold with Him! God is never “hoodwinked.” We are accountable, and the quicker we realize it and do something about it, the better off we will be.
Do you see the difference here between the reasoning of man and the actions of God? Even the bystanders are protesting! This sounds so much like today, doesn’t it? “Treat us equally, don’t differentiate! Be fair! Let the man who produced nothing with his mina — who wouldn’t so much as take a trip to the bank to deposit it so it would earn interest — keep his mina!” There’s no responsibility, no accountability at all in this protest.
Is the protest even fair? Of course not! The slaves that gained “ten more” and “five more” minas beyond the original ones they were given made 1000% and 500% returns on investment (ROI), respectively, the worthless slave...zero. Who deserves to be rewarded, and who should get the greater rewards? Jesus lets us know, doesn’t He? It’s the servants who are the most productive.
Now don’t apply this to yourself with the rationalization, “Oh well, as long as I get something, I’ll be content.” Oh no, Beloved, not when you’re standing before Jesus who gave His all!
Listen to what Jesus says,
26 “I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
This is something worth serious consideration, isn’t it? And it’s a “NOW” — not tomorrow — consideration because our days are numbered on this earth and we don’t know the number! Those who don’t produce at all have even their original investments taken away. Those who do produce are made rulers over cities (see vv. 17, 19 above).
Revelation 22:12 tells us that when Jesus returns, His reward will be with Him to give to everyone according to their deeds. With current-day events progressing as they are, it ought to be our wake-up call. Don’t delay, my friend. The sooner you begin building God’s eternal kingdom rather than the one you can’t hold on to, the sooner you’ll be building your reward and the greater will be God’s pleasure when He gives it to you.
P.S. If you would like to make sure your estate is in order so that your loved ones and the work of the Lord will receive the maximum benefit, please feel free to call Stan Latham our Vice President of Giving, directly at 423-296-8694. You can also contact PhilanthroCorp directly at 800-876-7958.
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