October 28

“Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2). For, “what do you have that God hasn’t given you?” (v.7). The answer is, ‘nothing.’ God has entrusted to each and everyone of us the ability to make material treasure (Deuteronomy 8:18) that we can invest on ourselves or that we can invest in building His kingdom. He has also blessed each of us with natural talents we can use to serve ourselves or use to serve Him. We alone make the choice as to whether we will be good stewards, faithfully utilizing all that God has placed at our disposal to bring glory to Him, or whether we will selfishly use all that God has placed at our disposal to bring glory to ourselves. But, the Bible is reminds us over and over that we will all give an account to the One who has so abundantly blessed us (Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 16:27; Acts 10:42; Galatians 6:5).
It makes no difference how much wealth or how many talents we have been given by God. We have all been given something (Matt.25:15). That which is important is not how much we have been given, but how faithful we have been with what we have received. Those who prove themselves faithful in managing what God has given them for His glory will be entrusted by God with more. Those who haven’t proven themselves faithful in managing what God has given them for His glory will lose what they already have (25:29).
The fact is, there are many opportunities God places before us to be a blessing to others with our monetary resources and our talents. For, when we see someone in need and come to their aid, we are really blessing the God who created that individual in His image. And when we see someone in need and ignore that person, we are really ignoring the God who created that individual in His image (25:40,45). Again, the lesson is that we need to be awake, alert, and prepared to give an account to God on any given day and at any given moment. We do not know the day when Jesus will return and we do not know the day when our time on this earth will be over. In either case, the wise are those who are faithful managers, living their lives at all times to honor God and in doing so, ready at any time for the judgment (25:1-13). If Jesus returned today, would you be prepared? If Jesus called you home today, would your bags be packed and ready to go? It might be wise to give it some thought now, before it’s too late!