Jump Start # 3773
Matthew 25:19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.”
Our verse today comes from the series of parables focused upon the judgment. The chapter opens with the wise and foolish virgins at a wedding. The principle there is to always be ready. Be alert for you do not know the day nor the hour, is how our Lord put it.
That transitions to the parable of the talents. This is where our verse comes from. The principle here is to do what the Lord wants us to do. There is a sense of accountability found in our verse today. The master was gone for a long time. When he came back, he wanted to see what the servants had done with his money. Open the books. An audit, we might say, is taking place. Let me see what you have done.
As I write this, our country is a a buzz with Elon Musk. Some hate him. Some love him. He is exposing tons of waste in our Federal Government. I don’t see why we spent millions for Sesame Street for the children in Iran. Iran would love to bomb the United States off the map. In time, I hope the same accounting and auditing trickles down to the state and local levels.
One of the things that Elon did thus week was send an email to all Federal employees stating that they had to respond with five bullet points of what they did last week at work. If they didn’t do that, they would lose their jobs. That got many upset. Lawsuits were filed and a lot of angry things were said. But, what a novel idea. Are you doing your job?
Imagine applying that concept spiritually:
· Shepherds asking deacons to name five things that they did for the church in the past month
· Preachers being asked to bullet point five things that they did in the last week
· Every member identifying five encouraging things they did in the past month
If a person is doing their job, there is nothing to fear. It’s those who are not productive, who do not want to work, or as in Matthew 25, buried their talent in the ground, that has a lot to fear.
Now, consider some things:
First, accountability is good and necessary. It keeps us in the lanes that we belong in. If there was no accountability, lazy and lawless would be the outcome. Our fellowship is built upon accountability. John wrote, “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another…”(1 Jn 1:7). There is a judgment call we make about who is in the light and who is not. There is an accountability factor about being in the light. When we play spiritual hide and seek, and the guessing game, it leads to doubts, suspicions and coverups. If you are doing what you ought to be doing, there is nothing to fear.
Second, there will be the ultimate accountability with the Lord on the judgment day. There the books will be opened, as the Bible says. No lawsuits will stop it. No protests will delay it. And, when one lives with that understanding, they do not fear being accountable with one another. It is by the grace of God that we will be saved. We have our part, and that is faith. That is walking with the Lord. That is living righteously. God expects that.
Third, it’s easy to be the hitchhiker in a congregation. There was a time when a person picked up hitchhikers along the highway. Not anymore. The world is too scary for that. But the hitchhiker doesn’t provide a car, the gas, or anything. He is along for a free ride. When you have gone as far as he wants, he then gets out. Some can be that way in a congregation. All the classes are done by someone else. All the preaching is done by someone else. All the cleaning. All the preparing. All of everything is done by someone else. One just shows up and enjoys what has been prepared. And, when a person feels that the church is going farther than he wants, he gets out.
List five bullet points of what you did last week spiritually? For some, that would be so easy. They could list more than five every day. Others couldn’t come up with five in a month. Some, would be hard to think of something in a quarter of the year.
Frances Havergal wrote the wonderful hymn, “I gave My life for thee.” It opens with, “I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed.” The chorus of the first verse reads, “I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou done for Me?”
What hast thou done for Jesus? Other than showing up on a Sunday morning, could you list five things you have done for Jesus in the past week? Month? Quarter? Year? A day is coming, the books will be opened. An audit will take place.
Lets get busy for the Lord. So much to be done. So many people to encourage and teach and help. Don’t stop at five things, keep going.
Roger