One of life’s most significant questions is, “Why am I here?” Every person on this planet has been made in the image of God and placed within each person is a longing to fulfill their purpose in life. We know that the Lord has plans for every one of our lives and a designed call to fulfill in this short period here. You may have had clarity for a period of time in your life and now find yourself confused or even stuck. You may find yourself running from one thing to another trying to fill this longing in your heart coming up short every time. It is important that we go directly to the source of the river, the Word of God.
Luke 19 tells us a story of about a nobleman who went to a far country to receive or himself a kingdom and then return. He calls ten of his servants together and gives them a lump sum of money and tells them, “Engage in business until I come” (:13). I love that Jesus tells us to engage in business. He is telling His disciples that there is coming a time that He will go away for a while, and his followers would need to be faithful and productive during his absence. This is where you and I are right now. Upon His return, Jesus will inaugurate a Kingdom more powerful and just than anything we can expect or imagine.
You may ask, “What were they to be productive with?” The ten minas. In this story, Jesus tells us that we have all been given time, treasure, and talents that we are to put to use. This means that ALL OF US have been given excellent resources to build and expand God’s Kingdom. EVERYONE IS GIVEN SOMETHING TO INVEST. Jesus expects us to use these talents so that they multiply and the kingdom grows. When He returns, we will be called to give an account for what we do with his gifts that He might know what we have gained by doing business (:15). The point is that while we are awaiting the coming of the kingdom of God in glory, we must do Christ’s work.
What’s so compelling about this story is that EVERY ONE OF US ARE IN IT SOMETHWHERE. There are only 3 possibilities: true servant, false servant, or enemy. The true servants did what they were supposed to and they were handsomely rewarded. The false servant is the one that did not increase the king’s money and then the foes are those that rejected the king and His kingdom. I am struck by the false servant. Why was the king so hard on this man who had not increased the money? He punished the man because:
- He did not SHARE his master’s interest in the kingdom.
- He did not TRUST his master’s intentions.
- His only CONCERN was for himself.
- He did NOTHING to use the money.
You’re in the story. You are either among the faithful, false, or the foes. You either will experience the rewards of the faithful, rejection of the false, or retribution of the foes. Where are you? Like the king in this story, God has given you gifts to use for the benefit of his Kingdom. Do you want the kingdom to grow? Do you trust God to govern it fairly? Are you as concerned for others’ welfare as you are for your own? Are you willing to use faithfully what He has entrusted to you?
If you searching for your purpose and want to be known as a trustworthy servant that is richly rewarded. If you have any love or affection for the Lord and are committed to this kingdom…do something with the time, treasure, and talents you have been given. Do something very practical with this! Take a spiritual gifts test and start serving your church and neighborhood accordingly. Get prayer from trusted advisors and pastors and live in your God-ordained design. Give generously to extend His kingdom to the point where is costs you something. Find someone in need and serve them from a heart of love. This is a call to honor the life of the nobleman who will be returning. To make the most out of the gifts, privileges, opportunities, and responsibilities you have been given.