What Have You Been Given?

Not sure if this happens to anyone else, but sometimes the figurative nature of a parable is very obvious to me...other times, not so much.  Jesus told the Parable of the Ten Servants in our reading.  This is one of those parables where the literal version makes sense to me, so I have a hard time figuring out the underlying meaning and intent of the message right away.  It kind of reminds me of the movie Mallrats (humor me), where Willem is trying to see the schooner/sailboat in the magic eye picture.  Some people can see it really easy, but some have to work really hard at it.  Don't worry, I am not trying to say that Mallrats has any biblical implications...just a funny clip.

Click here to watch

(If you want to watch, please note there's a couple mild swear words, one of Nate's favorites...and a couple uses of OMG.) 

So back to the point.  In this parable we see how the "king" is representative of Jesus, who would be going away for a while...and the "servants" represent followers of Christ.  While He is gone, like the servants, we are given talents/gifts/resources to build and expand on God's kingdom until our King returns.  The "king" was upset with the one servant who did nothing with what he was given and, when the "king" returned, everything the servant was given was taken away from him.

God gives each of us what we need to build up His kingdom until he returns...at which time we'll have to give an account for our actions, just like the servants did.  Personally, I know I'm still trying to figure out what I've been given and what I should do with it.  I wonder sometimes if there's something I'm missing, or maybe right now I'm just working with what I know and will be given more in the future.  Wherever you're at with this idea of using your talents/gifts/resources to build up the Kingdom, my Bible's notes say to consider the following:

1. What is your interest in the Kingdom?  Is it the same as Jesus' plan for us?
2. Do you trust Jesus' intentions?
3. Are you more concerned for yourself?
4. Are you willing to use faithfully what He's entrusted you with?

"I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away."Luke 19: 26

No One Is Good

Lately I feel like screaming, or sometimes covering my head in a blanket, and recently I just want to close my eyes and click my heals three times saying "There's no place like home!".  I have been allowing myself to get seriously depressed lately with the things I read about in the news.  Political unrest in Wisconsin, tsunami and earthquake devastation in Japan followed by nuclear disaster, Libyan "rebels" fighting for their lives, an 11 year old girl being gang raped by 7 guys in a bathroom, a drunk driver killing a busload of people, internet pedophile rings numbering over 70,000 and the hundreds of young children they've exploited and abused.  And there's more added to the list every minute of the day.  It makes my head spin and my stomach turn when I'm faced with the stark reality of the evil in our world.

I struggle with my head knowledge that God is in control, and my heart's desire that good would outweigh the bad here on earth.  When I read about all the horrible things going on in the world I feel so helpless, and that leads to a feeling of hopeless.  My heart breaks when I think about the little children in Japan, and their parents as they try to protect them...I prayed for the little girl who was raped by 7 people in the bathroom at the tender age of 11 and I worry for the safety of my little nieces as they grow up in this kind of a world.  I want to throw up when I cry over the hundreds of little boys who were and are being abused by pedophiles for internet "entertainment".  I feel crushed by the weight of evil that surrounds the earth, and I wonder when?

When will these evil-doers hear the Word of God and have their chance to repent?  What if they've already heard the Gospel and their choice was to turn away?  When will justice be served?  When will the victims feel hope for their future and eventually the love and peace that only God can provide?  I get so worked up I don't even know what to pray for anymore.

Our Bible reading today in Luke 18:19 says "...No one is good - except God alone".  Honestly, that's not helping me feel better about life.  All of these questions have been running through my mind for a few weeks now.  Then as I was laying in bed last night reading my Bible Study book, I was reminded of some verses that do provide some comfort from Romans 8:26-28:

 

 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

 ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

When I look deeper into those words, I'm comforted because even when I don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit prays with me and God answers.  I know that He answers according to His will, not my own.  He is in control - which is important to remind myself.  I can trust that He knows what's best, even if I don't understand His plans.  (Funny note - I have a little silver ring on my right hand with Romans 8:28 written on it...and I still managed to forget about this verse until last night.)

It is hard to accept, for me, that while God is working out "all things" for our good...that evil is still prevalent in our world.  God has a purpose.  And while it's painful to realize that this promise isn't for everyone - it is only given to those who love God and choose not to hold onto the temporary things of this life - I need to look for my security in heaven.  Going back to our reading for today in Luke 18, verse 1 tells us to pray and not give up.  God may delay in answering, but He always has a good reason.

Fountain of Life

Is it me, or does David seem a little manic depressive?  Psalm 35-36 seemed so opposite of each other...the first crying out for God's swift hand of justice, and the other an outpouring of thankfulness for God's love and wise judgement.  All joking aside, the two chapters are two sides of the same coin.  David had the deep faith needed to rely only on God for justice against sinners and evil men.  He also feared God (recognized Him for all that He is), from which David could recognize God's faithfulness, justice, and love.

Psalm 35 is a long drawn out call for God to help him with the very difficult situation he was in (it's possible this psalm was written when he was being hunted by Saul).  It was a daily reality for David to be in need...constantly awaiting God's answer to his prayers. 

Psalm 36 shows an acute awareness of how the Lord is our one source of hope, restoration, and strength.  David calls Him the "Fountain of Life".  The word "fountain" has a few different meanings, one of which is a point of origin or dissemination; a source.  If you look up Jeremiah 2:13, you'll see how the people of that day (much like people today) cling to the broken promises of this world...you name it - money, power, religious/rule keeping, etc.. spinning their wheels trying to fill whatever void is in their life (some call that a "God-shaped hole").  They miss out on God's promise to constantly refresh us with His Spirit, the living water.  You'll find the same thing in John 4:13...Jesus encounters the woman at the well, and she learns that just like our bodies need water each day - our souls need to be replenished with the living water offered to us by God.

When we go to the source, the Fountain of Life, and take in the Word of God through the Bible - we allow Him to fill us with Truth and the empowerment we need - new and fresh - each day.  Only then can we approach the circumstances of our life from God's perspective.

One side note - I'm so excited that in just a few days we're going into our 4th month of this "challenge".  I have to admit, I didn't know if this would last through January!  But keeping the blog has helped me personally to dig into my readings more than I would have by just reading.  So happy that I'm not doing this alone, and that I have family and friends along for the journey. 

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Matthew 18:20