“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’” (Matthew 25:26-27 NLT)
What is the largest investment you’ve ever made? Be careful, I’m not talking about money, and neither was Jesus in the parable referenced above. The most valuable gift you’ve ever been given is your life. What are you doing with it? How are you investing your life in the Kingdom of God?
Like so many areas of our lives we tend to believe the life we’ve been given is our own, but it’s not. Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
To what “high price” is Paul referring? Certainly not dollars and cents, but the blood of our Savior, God’s perfect, holy, sinless Son. Jesus gave everything, including His life, for you and me. What we do with the life we’ve been given is how we honor the Lord for all He did for us, not just in dying, but in living His life as a perfect example of what our life should look like.
And yes, of course, none of us is perfect, but isn’t that our goal? Remember Jesus’ words in His sermon on the mount: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The word Jesus used in this verse doesn’t mean without flaw or mistake, it means: “of full age, brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing for completeness, mature.” (Strong’s)
In much the same way as children grow and mature, we, as Jesus followers, are to grow and mature in our faith. “But how?” you may ask. By investing our lives in God’s Kingdom. “But what might that look like?” It looks like a life fully devoted to the Lord Jesus; a life that is centered and focused on doing God’s will, not our own.
Perfection in the life of a Jesus follower is our intentional endeavor to be approved by God. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul writes to his young protégé Timothy: “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”
“Approved” means “pleasing, acceptable.” How do we gain that approval? By living like Jesus. By living lives that reflect His character; by making choices that result in a standard of living that is centered on pleasing the Lord and not ourselves; by living a quality of life that backs up and affirms our words when we are speaking to someone about the difference knowing and loving Jesus makes in our lives.
Corky Calhoun said: “Eventually we all have to rest in the places we invest.” Like the servant in the parable above to whom Jesus gave the single talent, rather than make an effort to invest himself in ways that would benefit his master, he was lazy and fearful and chose to do nothing.
How like so many who profess Christ’s holy name today. They’re satisfied to warm a pew and live their lives to their glory rather to His. But one day, having chosen to invest themselves in themselves, they will “rest” in a place they never desired to be; a place of separation, torment, and darkness.
We must take stock of our lives and determine for whom we’re investing the one life we’ve been given. We only get one shot at living it well, to the Lord’s glory and honor. We dare not mess it up! And by “mess it up,” I’m not pretending that I or anyone else will get it 100% right. We don’t mess it up by not getting it perfectly right, we mess it up by not trying at all.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 