Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.
Luke 19:11-27
As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Do business with these until I come back.' But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to rule over us.' When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, 'Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.' He said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.' Then the second came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' He said to him, 'And you, rule over five cities.' Then the other came, saying, 'Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 He said to him, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.' He said to the bystanders, 'Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.' (And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds!') 'I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.'"
I think some followers of Christ believe that since Jesus taught us to be humble and to put the needs of others before their own wants, Christians are called to be timid and afraid. And I’ll tell you, that sure seems to be the way they live their lives. You see, they fear the demands put on them by the world, and they pull back and protect what they have, fearing that if they don’t, it will be taken away from them. And even though they may feel comfortable standing up for what’s right and appropriate within their own little groups, they seem easily intimidated by men and women who are more aggressive and free from the restraints imposed by faith.
And even though that may be consequence of following the one who challenged us to be servants, as this parable reminds us, there’s nothing wrong with using the strength and intelligence that God gave us and demonstrating skill and insight in our daily work. You see, we can take risks with honesty and we can succeed without arrogance. And this is important for believers to recognize. You see, since we live in the world that we have but not necessarily the one that we may want, we may not be able to be timid. And since God is on our side, we have no reason for fear. In other words, as disciples of our humble savior, there are times when we may need to be bold.
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