Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

August 20, 2010

Expectant Prayers
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." - James 1:6

When a friend called me with "news" recently, I anticipated hearing about a promotion at work or a ring on her finger. The true story left me speechless.

"I'll pray for you" has become such a Christian catchphrase. We use it to comfort the hurting, encourage the downtrodden, advise the undecided, and otherwise tell people "I'll be thinking of you" in a holy manner. But when we pray, "Lord, please help Jenny move on after the breakup," do we really expect God to show up? Or do we anticipate that the natural measure of time will be what helps Jenny, not expecting a supernatural show?

This phone call chased away natural explanation. My friend was calling about permanent change that defied any temporal remediation. Excitedly, she told me that her father had finally met Jesus.

I just listened for a moment as she rejoiced and sang about her news. This was nothing short of miraculous - her father had never pretended to embrace faith of any kind. Her father is Jewish by birth, but the Christmas tree twinkled in their house just like it does in many non-Christian households. He didn't accept his wife's invitations to church or see his children's coming to faith as a motivation for spiritual exploration. Despite attempts by other men in his life to talk about faith in Christ, he remained resolutely independent for more than 20 years. Then... one day it just clicked. And the angels rejoiced.

During those years of unbelief, my friend and her mother practiced what could be called "expectant prayer." For two decades, they prayed for a unified family with a spiritual future. Their journey required a years of believing that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37) and not losing faith. They "really expected God to answer" even if they didn't know when and couldn't see any difference. And so they prayed - for 20 years.

When my friend and I first met seven years ago, one of our first conversations considered God's sovereignty paired with our prayers. My beliefs at the time bordered on hyper-Calvinism, and my prayers leaned towards "your will be done" because... well, God's will was going to be done no matter what. My prayer life edged toward determinism more than faith. My new friend, on the other hand, fervently believed that "the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective" (James 5:16). She didn't know what the answer for her father would be - or if she would ever know for sure before heaven - but she knew her prayers would play a role in the answer. She didn't have to know how. She just prayed expectantly.

As I share my friend's news with you today, I'm reminded of the father in Mark 9 whose son was possessed by an evil spirit. The man had watched his son struggle against the spirit's dominion since his infancy. He must have been close to giving up hope. But he scrapped together whatever faith he had left and took the boy to the disciples. His heart weighed so heavily that he begged for relief from the creator of the world with the phrase, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." What a desperate plea! Jesus recognized the man's flagging faith and did take pity, encouraging the man to believe that miracles were possible. The man's response has always stirred me: "I do believe - help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) And Jesus healed his son.

I don't think this father possessed unwavering, strong faith. I do think he possessed the mustard seed, however, and that was enough to move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). Likewise, I can't imagine praying for 20 years without once doubting that your prayer will be answered the way you hope. But clinging to our prayers with a mustard seed of faith will never be without effect.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Our prayers may not have visible effects here on earth. That cancer patient we prayed for may not win the battle against his illness. We may not know exactly how God will use or answer our prayers, but He is using them nonetheless. May the Lord give us the faith to keep praying - expectantly - that we will not be shaken.

[Judy Harder]

August 23, 2010 

Dangerous Love
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1 -2 NIV


Love.



It's a beautiful thing, right? Little girls dream of their future Prince Charmings sweeping them off their feet. Young men put their hearts and pride on the line to pursue beauties in hopes of finding happiness.

Although romantic love is a gift - a little slice of heaven at it's finest - let's be honest: it's also the primary place all our little demons come out to play.

After all, the one who knows us most intimately is not just privy to our gifts and strengths. He or she eventually sees us at our worst. And there's something about romantic love that seems to amplify the worst - even when our intentions are good.


It's astounding to me that marriages last a lifetime given the pain we are capable of inflicting on each other. Poets and writers have referred to love as a form of insanity. I was joking with a friend recently that infatuation probably is a form of insanity. But for the Christian, love is so much more.

If we look to Christ on the cross, we see that true, godly love bleeds. Love is vulnerable and suffers.



In his book The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis observed:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable... If you want to make sure of keeping your heart intact, you must give your heart to no one...Lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken -- it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from love is Hell."


As much as we'd like to do away with the painful, dangerous side of love -- would we have known the depth of God's love for us without the cross? I doubt it. Scripture points out the hard truth about human nature: most of us wouldn't die for a friend. But Christ - fully anticipating the pain -- died for friends and enemies alike. That's love expressed more eloquently than the finest love letter.



Christ's example alone is enough to justify the risks that come with love. But thankfully, love isn't just suffering. If it were, then love really would be insanity.

Instead, God -- in a way only God can - uses suffering to bring forth life... life far better than had we avoided the dangers of the cross. Resurrection follows for the couple willing to mutually embrace Christ and the cross of love. And it is this transformation that makes sacrificial love "fragrant."



In our own brief time together, my fiancé and I can attest to God's redemptive work. We've dated for 3 years. We've seen ugliness. And we've also seen the sweet rewards of working through that ugliness. Of submitting it to God. Of allowing Him to make the cross our "glory."

Sometimes I wish we had one of those whirlwind romantic courtship stories. You know, where boy meets girl, and after 6 months of whispering sweet nothings, they get engaged and plan their fairy tale wedding.


Instead we got heavy discernment. Some tears and some wounds. But in being open to love and in submitting all the ups and downs to Christ, we also experienced growth, depth, and now a brand new life together.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Have you ever met someone who got burned in love and vowed to never give their heart away again? Perhaps this describes you. Spend some time in prayer this week asking God to break down any unhealthy walls built around your heart so that you can give and receive love more fully.

[Judy Harder]

August 24, 2010

You're Right! 
Shawn McEvoy

"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious...
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."
John 13:15-17, The Message

I was very close to my father. He was the best man in my wedding, and growing up, when a lot of my peers were spending their weekend nights partying, I was usually happier to spend an evening with my dad watching a movie over ice cream.

One of the reasons I loved spending time with him was because I knew the Lord in a personal way... and he didn't. Sure, he was raised a "cultural Catholic," and was even an altar boy, but he'd definitely fallen away from any semblance of faith, and we all knew that he'd never been saved.

For several years, Dad was pretty much my pet project. I was always sharing with him when I could, always witnessing, always loving on him. I was continually lifting up prayers to God for his salvation, always trusting and somehow knowing it would eventually come to pass. And it did, 17 years after it had for me, and four years before he died. It's one reason his death - even though he was only 57 - wasn't nearly as devastating as it might have been to me.

He passed away in August of 2001. I stayed with my mom for a few weeks to help out before flying home on the evening of September 10 - yep, the night before a whole lot more stuff changed for a whole lot of us. I was in graduate school at the time, though I ended up taking a semester off to deal with all that had happened. So that Fall was a very strange time for me.

But then, as is so often true, there was Christmas...

We were at my in-laws' house that year. Somewhere in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve I was awoken, not by reindeer on the roof, but by a rainbow in my mind. It came to me in a dream, out of the darkness, but as if I were awake. One minute there was an immense, black screen before my eyes. Then, just like in a cartoon, someone pushed a section of the blackness out of the way, revealing just a square inch of the most amazing colors. It was my dad.

He was young, tan, and radiant, and he was wearing a smile bigger than any he'd smiled on earth. He didn't linger long. He simply said, "Shawn! Shawn-o! You were right! You were right about all this! But you're not living like it!"

Intersecting Faith & Life:  The rest of this story is mine, and for the most part, I'm blessed to say I'm "living like it" a lot more since then, a few bumps in the road excepted. Ask yourself: if it were confirmed to you that everything you believe from the Word of God, and everything you've preached was true, right, and absolute, what would you do? What would you no longer waste time doing? With whom would you share, and how would your purpose and daily life change? Because guess what... it is true! You're right! 

Further Reading

Live Today in Light of Heaven 

[Judy Harder]

"Liberty," Lists, or Love
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love.
Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."
Romans 14:15

After being born again, what does one do exactly? I remember struggling with this question after becoming a believer in Christ. It can be a thorny question that lingers for a long time in a person's life. Not too long ago, I read about a discussion that one Bible teacher had about this with some students one Saturday night at his ministry called L'Abri. The teacher, Francis Schaeffer, listened as some talked about lists of taboos—that as long as you didn't do certain things deemed to be un-Christian, you would be spiritual. Others criticized the list mentality and spoke in favor of a more lax Christian life. No, no, no objected Schaeffer. "The true Christian life is not merely a negative not-doing of any small list of things. But neither do we come to the true Christian life merely be rejecting the list and then shrugging our shoulders and living a looser life."

Schaeffer took his students to the law of love spoken of in Romans 14:15. According to this text, no Christian may entertain thoughts of living a looser life. Here, we are commanded to walk according to love. The text says, "If because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died."

"This is an absolute declaration that we are to do this," Schaeffer said (i.e. walking according to love). He went on, " it is perfectly true that we cannot be saved by doing this; we cannot do this in our own strength; and none of us do this perfectly in this life. Nevertheless... it is the absolute command of God."

Now, if Christ is your Lord, you are under His command and you do what He says, right? First John 5:2-3 says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."

Francis Schaeffer observed that this command to walk according to love soon leads us to discover that rather than leading into a looser life, the law of love moves us into "something much more profound and heart-searching. Having gone deeper, we find that we will be observing some of the taboos on the lists for a completely different reason... we have seen that some of those things are helpful to other people."

What a concept to instill in a new believer—being helpful to others. Could it really be so simple that true liberty is not "liberty" to indulge the self but it is freedom from the tyranny of our bent to please the self? Apparently so.   

Without saying it directly, Schaeffer put his finger squarely on the core problem plaguing both the legalist and the libertine: both are driven to serve self, not Christ, not others. But as the text goes on to say, "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17). This righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit only rests on the one who walks in love.   

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you joyless? Discontent? Pray for an "others-oriented mindset" that is fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. "Walking according to love" is the only thing that can keep you from falling off the narrow path into either extreme—living loosely on the one hand, or being a Pharisee that merely holds to an accepted list so that others will think well of you.

Further Reading

Worldliness, by C.J. Mahaney

How do we maintain a life of consistent spiritual discipline? by Chip Ingram (audio)

Endnote:
In 1955, Dr. Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their home to help people with unanswered questions about God, faith, the Bible and their relevance to modern life. Students and seekers from all over Europe and the world trekked up to their chalet perched high in the Swiss Alps where they heard and saw Christian theology applied to all of life. Fortunately, the well-preserved written record of the Schaeffers' lives and ministry allows us to follow their trail of thought, be discipled by them, and discover a bit of what made their message so worth hearing.

Just prior to the launching of their most fruitful ministry years, Francis had to face down a severe crisis of joylessness. What came out of that crisis is the content of his book, True Spirituality, without which there would have been no L'Abri ministry. Read more about it here.

[Judy Harder]

August 26, 2010 

Hunger Pains
John UpChurch

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
Matthew 5:6, ESV

My father has a sardonic wit. Growing up, when one of my brothers or I would point out that our supply of chips, cereal, and milk had run dangerously low—at least from our perspective—he always had a similar answer: "Why should I buy food? You'll just eat it." To this day, I'm not completely convinced he was joking.

This happened all the more because of the size of our family—four boys who were perpetually hungry, the various friends who always stayed around and enjoyed the free foodstuffs, and my parents. We chowed through low-fat ice cream, churned through Malt-o-Meal bags with ferocity, and downed pretzels with abandon. Growing boys need to eat, after all.

I couldn't count just how many loaves of bread we went through during my youth, but if you stacked them end to end, I'm sure you could come up with one of those impressive charts showing how many times the chain would wrap around the earth. My parents did their best to keep the cupboards stocked by piling grocery carts full. However, they faced one insurmountable problem, the same problem my father hit upon with his ornery comment: No matter how much we ate, we still needed more.

Hunger and thirst have this bad habit of coming back. No quarter-pound hamburger or bucket-sized glass of tea can cure this vicious cycle. Eat, get hungry; eat, get hungry.

The Samaritan woman Jesus spoke with at the well knew all about this condition. Every day she trekked to a hole in the ground, yanked up water, and sloshed her way home. The next day, she had to repeat the process. No matter what, she'd never be satisfied, never make enough trips to the well. In essence, that's what Jesus pointed out to her—the same thing He pointed out during the Sermon on the Mount.

While T-bone steaks fill our bellies for a moment, they only momentarily satisfy. The cost of the meal, the effort involved, the garnish, none of that prevents hunger from returning—sometimes worse than before. And we're left rummaging through the pantry at midnight, trying to find the last of the peanut butter or any leftover Goldfish crackers.

In one way, however, there is something profound to what my dad always said. As Jesus pointed out to the well woman, we go through actions every day to fulfill basic life requirements. We want to live, so we drink and eat. But the results are transient, momentary. The irony is that fulfilling those basic life needs often drowns out the deeper need we all have.

The people who realize their true hunger, the insatiable thirst for God, understand that stuffing faces, stuffing wallets, and stuffing days full of activities don't slake the thirst of the spirit. They want righteousness—a tasty goodness that doesn't come from waffle fries or chocolate shakes.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  The greatest part of realizing our need for righteousness is Christ's promise that we will be filled. We don't always eat or drink when we want, but when we ask Christ to make us right with God, He does. No trips to the supermarket or trips to the well—we're simply filled.

So, why should you hunger after righteousness? Because it's exactly what you'll get.

Further Reading

John 4:5-26

Isaiah 55

[Judy Harder]

August 27, 2010

A Time of Confession
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9, NIV

One of the things I have come to appreciate more and more in a liturgical church service each week is the time of confession.

In this week's time of "Public Confession of Sin," we recited the following:

O living God, I bless You that I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it, that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from You, that it is Your deep and dear mercy to show me my sin so that I may return, pray and live. My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged, or look on my good and be puffed up. I fall short of Your glory every day by spending hours unprofitably, by thinking that the things I do are good, when they are not done to Your end, nor spring from the rules of Your Word. My sin is to fear what never will be; I forget to submit to Your will, and fail to be quiet there. Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness. I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.

The last two lines of this confession brought a lump to my throat and really caught my attention.

... although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness. 

It's not? Praise God, it's not! Take a look around your wilderness right now. And I'll stop and take a look around mine, too. What do you see?

I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.

After a week of feeling like I was trapped in the briars and the barrenness of my life, I had a lightbulb moment when reading through the Truth of what I do have. And I was convicted all over again of a poor attitude and a life not being lived in right response to our God. I silently acknowledged what was being revealed to me:  my sinfulness.

Confession will do that for you. It shines the light on what is really going on in our hearts. And hopefully, if we are in step with the Holy Spirit, we will have already been convicted of what we are bringing to God when we confess.

I know that in the past week, there were several times where I felt the pangs of conviction in my own heart. While it's good that I was convicted and knew that something was not right in my heart, I needed to take the next step and confess my sins to the Lord so that I could be reconciled and grow deeper in my relationship with him.

It is hard to experience the stench of our hearts. I know I'd rather just shut the door and spend time elsewhere—far, far away where I don't have to think about the ugliness that lies beneath the many layers of me.

But when we confess, we are cleansed and restored. Let's aim to do that today, so that we may be forgiven, so that we may be a fragrant offering, so that we may enjoy fellowship with our Father in heaven.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  To quote a Scottish proverb: "Open confession is good for the soul." When is the last time you confessed your sins to the Lord? Take time to search yourself and spend time in confession. And may God break our hearts and renew a right spirit within us all.

Further Reading

Psalm 51

Psalm 103

"Hosanna"

Words & Lyrics:  Brooke Fraser

© 2006 Hillsong Publishing

Performed by:  Christy Nockels, Life Light Up (2009)


I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a new revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what break Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity ...

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

[Judy Harder]

August 30, 2010

When the Church Isn't Lovable
Katherine Britton
Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:35

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." This soundbite attributed to Ghandi provides the classic rejoinder for anyone tempted to leave a church. Churches are comprised of human beings who have yet to shake their sin nature, after all. We hurt each other. We get legalistic. We don't enforce tough love when called for, leaving the defenseless to fend for themselves. We're often a bunch of gross caricatures rather than true reflections of our Christ.

Former vampire novelist Anne Rice recently lashed out at this habit, saying she "quit being a Christian" because of, well, Christians. She said,

"I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider... In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

Hearing Rice's experience saddens me, because I'm sure her descriptions are accurate. We've all seen - and at times, been - the stereotype. No wonder the term "Christian" has fallen out of favor.

What I think Rice misses, however, is that the church has always been this way. A quick perusal of Paul's epistles and the other New Testament books shows that the young church was full of personal quarrels, insipid disagreements, and misguided focus. In their ministry with Jesus, the disciples would rather have called down fire from heaven on an unwelcoming town rather than simply shake it off and move on (Luke 9:54). Peter worried about what food he ate before worrying about the Gospel. Christ knew full well that these people were imperfect. He showed them perfect love anyway.

I think the mark of a mature Christian is whether she loves the Church even when it's unlovable. That means loving the individual parts, too. We can't love the universal church without loving the particular church, despite its flaws. Christ committed himself to imperfect people, and we can't claim to be following his example without doing the same. And - news flash - we better hope that others are willing to do the same, for the times we trip over our own sin. I am a Christian among other Christians in the name of Christ - thanks be to God for his mercy!

Intersecting Faith & Life: My husband and I joined a church plant last year, and we've seen firsthand how easy it is to let little things fester. We've also seen firsthand how grace, love, and commitment to a faith community can bless you a thousand times over what you invest in it. True, being part of the body will hurt sometimes. But, detached, we just wither away. Are you committed to a particular group of Christians, willing to love whatever the circumstances? What's stopping you?

Further Reading:
1 John 4:7 

[Judy Harder]

August 31, 2010

Is Love Just a Choice?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3: 18

"Love is a choice."


"Why drag a relationship out? Just commit!"



"People today wait too long to get married. They need to find someone in their early 20's and just tie the knot!"



As a single woman and in my role as Crosswalk's Family Editor, I've heard relationship advice like the statements above more times than I can count.



This kind of advice stems from a very real concern in Christian culture: young people today are waiting until their 30's to marry more than ever. This trend pulls an entire decade of adulthood away from family life and some serious issues have arisen as a result. Pastors, cultural analysts, and everyday well-meaning people have stepped in to say, "Enough! Make a commitment!"



I have a problem with this advice, though.



10 years ago, as a 19-year-old just stepping into adulthood, I sat in the passenger seat of my father's car while we drove home from a weekend conference. After mulling over the relationship advice given at the conference, I finally blurted out, "Dad, if love is just a choice, than why not just marry someone walking by on the street? They criticize us for analyzing our dates too much or having high expectations, but by what criteria are we to choose a spouse?"



We didn't come up with any satisfactory answers that day.



Years passed, and while I appreciated the fact that typical Christian relationship advice was more solid than the mainstream "just go with your feelings" message, a piece of the puzzle remained missing for me. Is it really godly love or "God's will" when a young couple high on emotions gets engaged and married within a matter of months? Does simply "getting married" solve the problems we're hoping to solve?

Now, standing on the threshold of married life, Fiance and I have found greater clarity on some of these questions as we work through Fr. Karol Wojtyla's book Love and Responsibility.  Fr. Wojtyla writes that biblical love isn't merely a choice but a choice based on truth. Wojtyla states:


"Only true knowledge of a person makes it possible to commit one's freedom to him or her." This is because, "True love, a love that is internally complete, is one in which we choose the person for the sake of the person - that in which a man chooses a woman or a woman chooses a man not just as a sexual 'partner' but as the person on whom to bestow the gift of his or her own life."



Translation: We must know the truth of the person to whom we're committing and also know ourselves in light of God's truth, otherwise love is "blind" and not love at all.  This is because we don't just marry a generic man or woman, but a unique, complex person created with dignity and in the image of God.



Fr. Wojtyla tackles the issues that come with rapid commitments in this context. He affirms that while emotional warmth is important to a relationship, the emotional and sensual highs often present in the early dating days can actually obscure the truth of another person thus hindering love from flowering. Later, this couple will experience disillusionment as the fantasy fades. Fr. Wojtyla writes that love for a particular person requires time to unfold and allowing for this time isn't the same as fear of commitment or avoidance of responsibility.



Wojtyla writes from a scriptural foundation. In the Bible, we see that love and truth are intertwined. We see God's love is a very personal love, beginning in the womb (Psalm 139: 13). He has knowledge even of the hairs on our heads (Matt 10: 30). God has no romantic illusions of who you are, yet He chooses you - and cherishes you. This is genuine, unconditional love that brings lasting happiness for all including the warmth of emotion we so desire.



Thankfully, true love does not depend on our flawless execution of it. We've all failed in some capacity. Fr. Wojtyla comforts his readers by reminding us of God's work in the lives of those who seek Him: "There is no need to be dismayed if love sometimes follows tortuous ways. Grace has the power to make straight the paths of human love."



Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you single and dating? Honor that person by taking the time to get to know them for who they are. Have you already committed? Fr. Wojtyla writes that the marriage commitment creates a lifelong "school of love," giving spouses unique opportunities to develop mature love as they grow in truth and grace. Ask God for ways you can grow in your love for your spouse.

[Judy Harder]

September 1, 2010
Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

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

With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.

One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).

Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.

We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.

But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.

Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.

Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?

For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.

My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.

Further Reading

James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2

Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling

[Judy Harder]

September 1, 2010

Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

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

With the start of football season this month, I've heard the phrase, "to whom much is given, much is required" used a lot... and that's a good thing. A great thing. Athletes, profiled on sports shows, have been given chances to explain how they are using their celebrity and/or money to help mankind, or even spread the gospel.

One prominent athlete was interviewed about wanting to use what he's been given as a platform to further the Kingdom of God. His goals were reminiscent of the parable Jesus told about the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants, stewards of the kingdom. Faithful servants are to be about their master's will, not doing their own thing, not squandering what they've been given, but instead, realizing how much they've been given, and that there are punishments awaiting those who knowingly disobey (and even for those - albeit less severely - who unknowingly disobey. Seem harsh?).

Nonetheless, I enjoy verses like our main verse today, where a concept is repeated synonymously for effect. The Bible's wisdom literature is ripe with this structure, and Jesus makes use of it here. The phrase "Everyone who has been given much" is echoed by "the one who has been entrusted with much," and "much will be demanded" becomes synonymous with "much more will be asked." It drives the point home.

We often hear the first part of this verse quoted, and it works fine by itself: "To whom much is given, much is required." That concept even works well in the secular world, so much so that non-Christians quote it, perhaps without even knowing it's biblical in origin, and superhero movies use it as a thematic element.

But this week, after seeing and reading those profiles of Christian athletes, I read the verse in its entirety, and it opened up a new level of meaning for me.

Generally, when I think of things I've been "given," or "gifts," I tend to think of presents, possessions... toys, even. Things that are mine. Things I can hoard, break, forget about, get tired of, use for personal gain, waste, sell, or lose. Some things we are "given" include salvation, spiritual gifts, genetic gifts, talents, financial blessing, testimonies, family, forgiveness, love, and more.

Now, does your perspective shift at all if you think of those things not merely as "things given," but as "things you are entrusted with"?

For me, the ante gets upped. There's a new level of seriousness. The steward who has faith must, by definition, be faithful.

My toys, as I grow up, must become my tools - the things the Master has given that He expects will be used to build and further His Kingdom.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  What gift have you been entrusted with that you are still just playing with? Or hiding? Or wasting? Knowing the Master's will, decide what you would say if He returned today to find you not busy at Kingdom work. Then decide one way you can use what you have been entrusted with to edify others this week. You may not have the platform of a Tim Tebow, but you've been given all the requirements necessary to do the job assigned to you.

Further Reading

James 2:14-18
1 Corinthians 4:2

Envisioning Your 'God-Sized' Calling