To Whom Much Is Given

“And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more,” Luke 12:47-48, KJV.

It is quite evident that many in this world want fame, fortune, elite status, or maybe a combination of them all. Often these sought after things are not for the benefit of others, rather for self-gain. The tragedy or downfall in this kind of thinking is in the foundation itself. I’m sure many of us are familiar with the scripture about the love of money in 1 Timothy 6:10, KJV, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” God wants us to have life and to have it more abundantly. He wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor. God enjoys seeing His children happy; more importantly filled with joy and of course that peace that surpasses all understanding. But He wants it to stem from Him, not the things that He gives to us.

Let us consider for a moment the preceding verses (Luke 12) beginning at 42 continuing through to the 46th, “And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”

This sounds very relevant today. Many find themselves waiting on God for relief in many situations, but then turn to their own devices saying that God is delayed, that He isn't coming fast enough. Many claim to wait on the Lord, yet "handle" problems on their own accord that goes completely against His will. “And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.” For those who know better and still willfully disobey (not asking God for help or deliverance, but relax in their sin) will be beaten with more stripes than the ones who did the same things and didn’t know any better. Look at all that is afforded to us and how much knowledge we have at our fingertips. Many read the Bible, know the word of God, yet discard or disregard the information. Why do so many refuse to do what they know is right? It is quite evident now (as if it wasn’t before) that tomorrow is not promised. God gives to us and yet we ask for more. But in the receiving, “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…”

Additional Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

House of Prayer or Den of Thieves?

“Come get your supernatural blessing!” Have you ever heard that phrase before? Or, “give your five hundred dollar sacrificial seed offering for your breakthrough?” Of course the amount varies, usually more than five hundred dollars, but the concept is the same. And what is this about chicken dinners and bake sales to keep the church doors open? What is this? What ever happened to just plain obedience? To obey is better than sacrifice. If people paid their tithes and made offerings, nobody would have to put a crowbar in their palms to get it out. Now, I am not saying that it is wrong to have events or programs to raise money for specific outreach projects. Nor am I saying that charging for the production of sermons and radio broadcasting is wrong because I don't believe that it is. But what I am saying is that the house of God should focus on Him and not our personal agendas.

It seems as if we’re in an era of “right now” deliverance—the “gimme” syndrome. Now, it is true that God does deliver instantly and has full capabilities to bless those whom He chooses when He chooses for He is sovereign. But what are we doing for Him? We want Him to do all of these things for us, but nothing for Him. God is not a prostitute where we can pimp Him. He is not on some street corner holding His hand out for money. He does not need our money (which by the way is His anyway). He desires our faith and trust...our love.

Look at the expression of love He poured out for us, His only begotten Son... to be beaten, ridiculed, lied on, talked about, and disgraced. All of this and some still reject Him. I didn't understand how so many people wanted to go to heaven, but rarely wanted to go to church. Then a friend of mine enlightened me. She said that they don't want to go to heaven; they just don't want to go to hell. Hmm, hell, now there's a thought. Are we serving God just because of danger of hell or is it because He is God? He is good, He is awesome, He is a deliverer, He is “I AM”. Do we think about it only when we see a hearse backing up with someone in it we many know, or on a daily basis to wake up in the morning and say, “Lord, make this day what you would have it to be, letting your will be done, not my own”?

What are we asking God for that He hasn't given us already? He said that He'll provide all of our needs. Needs, not wants, well I've already talked about that in the Grace and Mercy blog post. Are we seeking money, things, fame, or are we after God's heart? Check out Psalm 37:4. That's what it means to delight yourself in the Lord, and He'll give you the desires of your heart. What do you desire? I desire more of God, more of His presence; I just want to be next to Him because He is everything to me.

Romans 8:27, KJV, states, “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” So, whatever we ask for must line up with God’s will. It does not matter what supernatural anything that you may give, if you're not living right, the Holy Spirit isn’t going to even take that to God. It says it right there in His word, according to His will.

But Jesus summed it up best in this passage of scripture: "And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the House of Prayer? But ye have made it a Den of Thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him: for they feared Him, because all the people was astonished at His doctrine." Mark 11:15-17, KJV

Does His doctrine astonish you?