To Whom Much is Given....

 

 

 

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.

Luke 12:48

 

When you think about your life...what thoughts run through your mind?

Do you consider yourself blessed or cursed?

 

I consider myself extremely blessed.

Even if I hadn't been born in a country that was free, or to a family where I was adored, or with advantages I would still consider myself blessed - because I know Jesus.

 

Everything else - my job, my family, my education...even my country would be nothing if I didn't have Jesus.

 

But knowing Jesus - being in a relationship requires constant attention.

Attention to my relationship with him as well as attention to the incremental blessings he has given to me.

 

Recently, I heard someone say that the blessings in my life weren't just for me but they were for everyone I encounter.

 

I consider the blessing of my relationship with Jesus - as well as the other multitude of blessings -  to be a blessing to share.

 

Each day I wake up, I have the privilege and responsibility of representing Jesus to the world around me. How I share him and his blessings often is how those around me perceive Jesus - right or wrong my relationship with Jesus is a bridge to help others find a relationship with him.

 

Some days, when I think about the duty of sharing Jesus with others I get all tangled up inside:

What if I say the wrong thing?

What if I snap at someone?

What if someone I talk to doesn't like my hair - and then doesn't like Jesus?

I know...a little crazy - but honest.

 

I take the responsibility of sharing the love of Jesus very seriously...

To Whom Much Has Been Given - Much is Required.

 

I have been given much - I have been give the eternal love of a Savior.

And I am motivated to share that love with everyone I meet so that all of those someones might be given the same gift - and mission.

 

You have been given much....what will you do with it?

 

Quote

One person can make a difference and every person should try.

John F. Kennedy

 

Scripture

Luke 12:35-48

 

 

GUMY CHALLENGE

 

Answer to Clue #12: Gold

 

Clue #13: What were Jesus's final words on the cross.....

You may need to read just a bit....XOXO



Giving back to God

 

God tells us, "who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48) With this one statement, God shows us that we are required to give back in the manner to which we have been given - and we have been blessed.

We live in one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of the world. We have opportunities to try nearly anything and everything. And most importantly, we have the pure love of a Savior who sacrificed everything so that we might be able to be in a relationship with Him. We have been given much. So...how do we give back to God?

At times it seems impossible to think about how we can respond the love God has given us. His love is bigger than anything we can understand and fuller than any dream we could ever translate. How can we possibly give back that kind of love?

God understands the finite nature of our minds. He recognizes that we will be overwhelmed with responding to His love so He gave us clear instruction through the prophet Micah.

And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

(Micah 6:8)

God wants us to respond to His gift of grace by acting justly to those around us. We need to be fair, honest and trustworthy. When we see someone being ill treated, we are called by God to intercede and fight for their just treatment. We are called by God to treat everyone as He has treated us.

God also wants us to love mercy. He wants us to show kindness and goodness to everyone we meet. God wants His love for each of us to shine through our persons so that He is fully known be even those who feel they have been forgotten.

And God wants us to be humble...and to walk with Him. Every action - whether it be through justice, mercy or sharing God's love - is done through God's power, not our own. As we walk humbly with our LORD, we are reminded that we have the great gift of being God's hands and feet in this world. We do not do anything without His grace.

Giving back to God may seem overwhelming, but it is encouraging to know that He has already given us everything we could ever need.

Scripture

Luke: 12:47-49

Micah 6:8

Quote of the Day

“It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.”

— Richard Braunstein

Question of the Day

How is God calling you to respond to His love?

To Whom Much is Given...

Some days it seems we live in a world of hopelessness. We, as a country, are in the middle of two full blown wars, we are on the brink of economic disaster, we do no have leadership to claim ownership over the disarray, and we are all like spoiled children bickering amongst ourselves because we didn't get the best toy.

We live in a nation which has been one of the most blessed in all of history. We have won nearly every war we have ever entered. We have prospered each generation better than the one before it. We have made developed some of the greatest inventions known in modern history. We have set the standard for freedom around the world. And yet, we are allowing this prosperity -  these blessings from God - to wither in the face of apathy and entitlement.

God has richly blessed us and because of the blessings and as such we are required to give back.

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.  (Luke 12:48b)

We have been blessed with so much as Americans. In many ways we are like the ancient Israelites who turned from God when times were good. We have become apathetic in our faith - choosing our religion from a smorgasbord rather than through a heart felt devotion. We have decided to put things and our own selves in front of God, in the name of religious freedom. The Israelites of Judah did this too, and God took His favor off of them and allowed their exile for years in Babylon.  He was disciplining a fallen people - a people who cared more about themselves and their idols than about the God Who had saved them.

But He still loved them - and He gave them hope...

God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will.
Expect love, love, and more love! (Jeremiah 31:4 - MSG)

And God feels the same way about us. He will never quit loving us - even though we will need discipline - He will never quit loving us. Love is what God wants to shower on us - but our culture turns its collective nose up at God's love.

Our duty as Christians, as ones to whom much has been given, is to go into our communities and share the love that God has given us. A transformation can take place. It isn't too late for our country - if we focus on the love, on our love for others, rather than our love for self - God will move in mighty ways in this place.

The world doesn't change over night; The world changes when one small whisper is joined by another small whisper and another until each one builds on the other and raises from a whisper to a shout to a scream. All it takes is one small voice to start.

Will you be the voice?

Scripture:

Jeremiah 31

Quote of the Day

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country . My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

John F. Kennedy

...What can you do for God today to make this country, this state, this town, more Christ centered?

Don't forget to comment below if you have a thought to share or insight...Also - be sure to check out the Digging Deeper and GUMY Photo Album pages

Digging Deeper

GUMY Photo Album - Updated w/ Pics from first GUMY Session on Sept 18th