Settling Accounts

¨After a long time the master of those slaves come and settled accounts with them.¨  Matthew 25:19 (Reference Bible)

Probably most would agree that the parable of the master, who left money to his workers while he was away, was not given by our Savior to tell us to become financial experts.  Unless that kind of thing is what interests you, one would quite possible understand our Lord to be directing us rather to the responsibility we have to the gifts that are given to us.

When our Lord and Master returns one day to take account of what kind of stewards we have been with the things He left us in charge of, just what will we have to say for ourselves?

Some perhaps might like to think that Our God will reward His children for being good people or for dedicated and devote Christian who has held to the proper kind of doctrine.  However by traveling down that road too far we start to tread on ground tainted by a justification which hinges upon our own merit and works.

It may not be popular in today´s society this whole concept of accountability, but Jesus our Lord referred to it quite directly.  But how can we come to terms with this teaching without making our response legalistic and taking credit of the grace of God and sacrifice of Jesus from them?

Now if each individual Christian must at one point correctly adjust him or herself to the Creator and Redeemer, then here lies our responsibility.  God has communicated His existence and our need to seek Him and His righteousness to us.  Therefore each of us should be doing all that we can, to make the most of that presence.

There are children of God who hear of Him, fear Him and do something with the responsibility of their knowledge of Him so as not to lose it.  Like the servant of the story who buried the money given to him, some of us attend church or go through the rituals we were taught were expected of the children of the Lord.  But this kind of Christian may not have so much to show for their efforts on that day when our Master asks what we did with the little He entrusted to us.

At the same time, there still may be some who, like the faithful servants, take the knowledge of the Lord entrusted to them, and use it to gain them more.  These blessed souls hear that the God of the heavens is lovely and they go to great lengths to secure more and more of Him for themselves.  They have tasted a little of what it is to have the presence of the Great Spirit with them, and they will not rest until they have invested in doubling their portion.

Dear Jesus, Your words many times sound to us of things we can relate to here on earth.  But we know that Your intentions always lie infinitely higher up into the realms of Your everlasting kingdom.  Please let those words sink deep into us and mark us and move us towards Your purposes and Your desires.  Just as You never separated any word or deed You gave, from Your Father in Heaven, let us also dedicate all and lift all things up unto You.  Then let us seek a double portion of You, now that we have been entrusted with the notion of our need for You.  If we have found favor of a little of Your presence with us, do not let us rest until we are filled completely with You and are with You in every moment.

We will stand up to questioning on that day of accountability, if we have invested all in You and gained more of You from the little we started with.

For You we would live, today and forevermore!

Amen