Devotional Thoughts for Today
Lk. 19:12-3, 15-26 (ESV): He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come’. . . . [15] When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. [16] The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ [17] And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ [18] And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ [19] And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ [20] Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ [22] He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ [24] And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ [25] And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ [26] ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’”
Matt. 25:14-5 (ESV): For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. [15] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
Some egalitarians might prefer the Parable of the Ten Minas, since each servant receives one mina, over the Parable of the Talents, where some received more than others (Matt. 25:14-28). Which one is true? Based on Jesus’ statement, “Everyone who has been given much, much will demanded” (Lk. 12:48), it’s safe to assume that in God’s economy, not everyone receives the same amount of talents or gifts. But God is still egalitarian. How?
Recall that both the servant with a single talent and the other with one mina did nothing with it, even though they were told to put it to work, on account that their masters were unreasonable and unjust. Peeking into the vanity of the human nature, the servant with the one talent probably pouted over the fact that others received more: “Since you don’t think much of my ability, I will do nothing.” What he forgot is that when God judges our works, it isn’t based on how much we have gained; but rather, how much we have gained in proportion to how much we have been given.
At the judgment seat of Christ, where our works will be evaluated for rewards (2 Cor. 5:10), God will treat everyone as if they had received only one mina. How so? In God’s equalitarian judgment, it is possible that those who have received less will be given more rewards than those who have received more. For instance, God will be more pleased with a servant with a single talent who gained three more (300% yield) than one with five talents who made five more (100%). This is why Jesus said, after seeing a poor widow putting in two small copper coins (about $2) into the temple treasury and others giving much more: “[She] has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Lk. 21:4).
So, whatever talent God has given you, don’t bury it. Edify and encourage people with it; help support missionaries and your church; heal the wounded and instruct the young in faith.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for giving me talents and gifts that I did not earn. I admit that I’ve spent more time complaining about what I don’t have instead of using what I’ve received to yield more for your kingdom. May I constantly be reminded that I was given a great privilege; help me to be faithful. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 53
Lunch Break Study
Read 2 Cor. 5:10 (NASB): For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
1 Cor. 4:5 (NASB): Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.
Lk. 12:48 (NIV): But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Question to Consider
- What is the main difference between how we receive salvation and how we receive rewards?
- What is one key aspect of our works that will be evaluated at the judgment seat?
- So, what does God expect from those who have received talents and gifts from him? How are you doing with God’s investment into to your life?
Notes
- Salvation is not earned but is “a gift of God, not by works . . . but by grace . . . through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Rewards, on the other hand, are based on what we do. But this too is based on God’s grace since He doesn’t have to reward anyone; yet He chooses to do so out of His kindness and goodness.
- Our motives will be evaluated—meaning it’s not just what we do or how we do it but why we do it.
- God wants us to put to work every talent and gift given to us so that people’s lives are saved and healed: That’s why He takes it so seriously and displeases Him when we bury them (i.e., not use them) instead of using them to reach out to people.
Evening Reflection
As you are about to turn in, how do you think you used your talents and gifts today for the Lord? Was anyone encouraged and strengthened by you? Did anyone find out God’s grace through you? Pray that you will put your talent to work tomorrow.
The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were really impressed with Paul when he drove out evil spirits. So, upon seeing a “man who had the evil spirit” (Acts 19:15), they said, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out” (13). The evil spirit, instead of coming out, retorted, “’Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit . . . . gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (15-6). What happened? Without being fully trained and presuming their vision to be 20/20, Sceva’s sons tried to lead a “blind man”; the result was disastrous.
Many of us want to take on a bigger assignment from God, but consider the events in Paul’s life. Soon after his conversion, Paul became aware that he was God’s “chosen instrument to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and their kings” (9:15). Being a competitive and zealous person (Gal. 1:14), Paul might’ve thought that this international ministry was going to start right away. But God had other plans: Paul spent the next three years mostly in Arabia (17) where God trained him for ministry in isolation from everyone. Then he went to Jerusalem where he spoke “boldly in the name of the Lord” (Acts 9:29), but the Jews there “tried to kill him” (29). So, the church leaders had him return home to Tarsus (350 miles) and stay there until the situation calmed down. But, by the time Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul and bring him to Antioch (11:25-6), which, in time, would launch his international ministry, he had waited 8 years in anonymity. During those years, instead of looking ahead for his big break, Paul was training hard while no one was looking; he was learning to be “faithful with a few things” (Matt. 25:23).
Many Mexican pastors do not have seminary training; some have barely finished elementary school. One day, a pastor visited my friend who ran a Bible institute in Mexico, begging for an admission. Having preached and taught the Bible for awhile without any formal training, the warning given in James 3:1 suddenly dawned on him: “Not many of you should become teachers, . . . because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Subsequently, this pastor became terrified that everything he had ever taught might have been wrong; instead of treasures, he feared that he had brought out poison. While that is not a healthy attitude, his new found seriousness toward God’s word was refreshing only because too many people take the “teaching of Christ” (2 Jn. 1:9) quite casually.
For instance, do you know why the Mormon Church is not considered as part of the historic Christian faith? One reason is this: While Christ’s atonement forgives the original sin, it is by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Mormon Church (which there are many) that one’s own sins are forgiven. How about the Jehovah’s Witnesses? They certainly believe Jesus as a deity but not as an eternal being; to them, Jehovah created Jesus who, then, created the rest of the world. While some believers are alarmed by this type of doctrinal deviations, too many folks in the church would “put up with it easily enough” (2 Cor. 11:4). Referring to teachers who spew out false teachings, Paul commented, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:12-5).
At age 16, Patrick, living in England, was captured by marauding pirates who took him to Ireland as a slave. During six long years of captivity, Patrick found God. Fortunately, he escaped and returned home where he eventually became a clergy of the Celtic Church (not Catholic). But one day, an Irish man appeared in Patrick’s dream, saying, “We beseech you to come and walk among us once more.” Despite whatever bitterness he might’ve had, Patrick returned in 432 and spent the next 30 years ministering among the Celtics. As a result, not only was Ireland won to Christ, Western Europe was evangelized by Celtic missionaries who came out of his ministry. Thus, I am still puzzled by how a day honoring a zealous missionary like Patrick has become a day of drunkenness and lewd behavior.
Spoiling your Valentine’s Day celebration isn’t the purpose of this blog, but a reminder: “Don’t conform any longer to the pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:1) that shifts with time and always empties your pocket. Instead, hold onto what men like Patrick and Valentine truly stood for: their love for Jesus and their desire to serve Him. So, if you have a hot date tonight, give your waitress an evangelistic tract with a good tip!
It’s the job you’ve always wanted, and you thank the Lord for it. However, after 3 years of the daily grind of meetings, conference calls and business trips, often skipping church on Sundays, you can hardly remember the last time you have prayed or opened the Bible. The present condition is worse than the first!
However, everything changed after Jehoiada died. Joash, after heeding bad advice, “abandoned the temple of the LORD . . . and worshiped . . . idols” (18). When Zechariah, the son of his mentor Jehoiada, spoke out, Joash, “not remember[ing] the kindness . . . Jehoiada had shown him” (22), killed him. Consequently, “because Judah had forsaken the LORD,. . . judgment was executed on Joash” (24). Not only was Judah defeated and looted by Aram, Joash was severely wounded as well. What did him in were his officials who “killed him in his bed” (25). The final condition of Joash was worse than the first.
Here, Jesus, likewise, shows the absurdity of an argument aimed to discredit him. The Pharisees, jealous that “the whole world has gone after [Jesus]” (Jn. 12:19), accuses him of being on the same team as the head of demons. Jesus’ logic is simple: “If the devil and I are partners, why am I casting out his demons? Isn’t that like shooting yourself in the foot?”
So Christ, coming into this world as an intruder to take back what was taken by the devil, must first bind the strong man. He succeeded when his substitutionary death on our behalf “rendered powerless [the devil] who had the power of death” (Heb. 2:14 NASB) since the penalty of sin has been paid.
Serving God is not only important, but it can be quite exciting. Let’s suppose that teaching the Bible interests you, but on what basis will your pastor give you that kind of responsibility? Similarly, in order for a baseball player to move up the ladder to one day reach the Major League, he needs to demonstrate his ability to hit and pitch better than others in the Minor League. One major difference: while God looks for faithfulness and honesty to evaluate, a baseball GM evaluates solely on output.
For that, look at Joseph who had every reason to quit on life. First, after his brothers’ betrayal, he became a slave in the house of an Egyptian official. Instead of pouting, Joseph so faithfully carried out his task that his boss “entrusted to his care everything he owned” (Gn. 39:4). But his life quickly hit rock-bottom when a false accusation landed him in jail. (It’s like going from AAA to A league). But rather than giving up, he continued to work faithfully; seeing this, the warden “put Joseph in charge . . . [of] all that was done there” (39:22). And it was from that pit that God brought Joseph out and “put [him] in charge of the whole land of Egypt” (41:41). What does this show? “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).
Nabal from the OT era, described as “very wealthy” for owning 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep, and this 21st century man have this in common: Not using worldly wealth to gain friends for themselves. During the days when David and his men roamed around to escape from the murderous pursuit of King Saul, they, in effect, protected Nabal’s sheep that were grazing out on the field. In fact, Nabal’s servants told their boss, “These men were very good to us” (1 Sam. 25:15). So, when the festive time of sheep-shearing came, David asked Nabal to share “whatever [he] can find for them” (8). Nabal didn’t gain any friend when he responded, “Why should I take my bread . . . and give it to men coming from who knows where?” (11). David, responding to Nabal’s foolishness with his own imprudence, sought to kill him! Fortunately, though the intervention of Nabal’s wife, Abigail, kept that from happening, Nabal soon died of heart failure upon being told later about David’s plot.
This isn’t the type of illustration that pastors would dare to use from the pulpit. There are several glaring character defects in this manger which no one should emulate. First, he is irresponsible, which got him in trouble with his master who lost money due to the manager’s negligence. Second, he is a lazy freeloader. About to lose his job, he is sure about one thing: “I’m going to neither dig (i.e., work) nor beg” (i.e., swallow my pride). Third, he is a criminal. Changing the numbers around in the accounting ledger so that the debtors appear to owe far less is no different from a desperate student sneaking into the registrar’s office to alter his grade: a reduction of olive oil by 450 gallons would’ve cost the master as much as $5,400 today.
The parable demonstrates that while Samaritans are willing to help a Jew in need, the Jews, including this lawyer, will never do that for Samaritans whom they despise as unholy. When Jesus asks, “Which of these three . . . was a neighbor to the man who fell in the hands of the robber?” and the lawyer’s responds, “The one who had mercy on him” (i.e., the Samaritan), that is a self-admission of guilt: If being a neighbor means having mercy on anyone who is in need of it—regardless of whether he belongs to my tribe or not, then I haven’t kept all of God’s laws because I have not loved the Samaritans.