As the rain and snow

“He began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”  And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do?” Mark 12:1-9a

Jesus deftly exposed the stubborn, greedy hearts of Israel’s religious leaders. By parable, He described their repeated refusal, though provided with every perk and opportunity, to tend to and take advantage of what God had entrusted to them. They’d spurned the prophets who’d announced His coming, and presently rejected His message. There would be a day of reckoning.

The heavenly Father has planted for each of us a vineyard. Designed with fruitfulness in mind, He assigns us a place and time, determines boundaries, provides for needs, supplies wisdom and warnings through His word, hems us in with supernatural protection, gives full access to Himself by prayer, and guards us with His Spirit. All this He gives, then in love lets us decide how we’ll tend our allotment. (Psalm 16:6; 119:105; 139:5; Acts 17:25-27; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:11; Philippians 4:19)

It is easy in life’s demands to get caught in the grind with nary a thought for accountability, influence, or eternity. We’re intent on today’s responsibilities, present productivity, and tomorrow’s dreams, and forget we’re merely stewards who answer to an infinite Sovereign. We dismiss questions and chafe at interruptions, wanting only to do and keep for ourselves. All the while, the Lord awaits a return.

Have we recently taken stock of what the Lord has graciously given us this season in life, and will we take thoughtful time to thank Him? What present resources and opportunities has He entrusted, and what do we think He expects? How are we taking advantage of the visible and invisible bounty from His hand? Is there good health? Or poor health with new relationships, or time to pray? A workplace or neighborhood ripe for harvest? Energy, financial means, gifts of hospitality, wisdom? What will we offer upon His return? (Matthew 9:37-38; 1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! 

Arm me with watchful care 
as in Thy sight to live, 
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare 
a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
but press to realms on high.” ~ Charles Wesley (1762)

Amen!

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.^‘ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat… And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?^‘ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?^‘ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” Mark 4:35-41

I looked out the window
And saw only grey,
Looming and charcoal,
Will rain soak the day?

Here at my perch
With limited view
My attitude darkens
Beginning to stew

Slopping and dripping
My hours will be spent,
It’s bound to be soggy
And inconvenient

I fret and I whine
Reconsider my plans
How I might change them
And give up demands

After all don’t I have
The right to arrange
To serve my good pleasure
Void anything strange?

To manage my wants
And doings and ways,
To spend as I choose my Resources and days?

As I desire
Without conflict or pause
I want to do my thing
No defending my cause!

Then I go and look farther
And see now the cloud
Low in vast blue
No longer so loud

It’s a beautiful mess
In one part of the whole
Designed by my God
To show me my soul

It’s threat is not all
I will face in my day
But reveals the dark tendency
I must put away

I rue what is hard
I want what is easy
My time to go my way
Unfettered and breezy

Now seeing the obstacles
As part of the whole
God’s blesséd design
And purposeful goal

Considering Jesus
His love and His pain
I see that rich life comes
From sun and from rain

My Savior endured
The worst men could give
Surrendered and willing
So believers can live

With hope and deep joy
Through all kinds of days
As we learn to accept
And keep on and praise

To dwell on clouds only
Is hopeless and dreary
Blocking out the vast sky
Spreads infectious misery

What clouds now shadow Stirring up my mood Dampening optimism Causing me to brood?

Why not behold
The expanse He spreads wide
And rejoice that He’s Sovereign
Through it all by my side?

Over stormy and pleasant
His hand’s in control
To teach of His grace
And sustaining of soul

To show me His providence
In every kind of weather
His strength all-sufficient
His favor and pleasure

He paints the broad picture
He writes the whole story
For the good of His people
To shine forth His glory

So when I look out
Sense the grumbling begin
Look wider and trust Him
And praise Him again! (PEB)

Lord, help me receive and rejoice in Your design of each day, and praise Your majesty in all I feel, do, and say.

“When they drew near to Jerusalem,.. Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”’ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. Some of those standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” Mark 11:1-9

The disciples obeyed Jesus, not fully understanding the meaning of His need for the donkey. As they’d thrown their lot in with him a few years earlier, they cast their cloaks on the colt as a gesture of love and respect for their Master, a small surrender for His sake. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, others joined in throwing off their cloaks and shouting praises to this One they assumed was their triumphant Deliverer. Little did any know the significance of their actions and His mission.

Every time we obey or greet or praise Jesus, we cast to Him a bit of ourselves. With the buzz and pull of life, we can get swept up in selfish agendas and holding tightly to our stuff, so the letting go to serve Him takes a deliberate act of will. He is honored by our willingness, whether we understand fully or not, to give anything for His sake.

How often, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to cast off an attitude or habit or idol interest, do we reject His appeal and insist on our own way? What smack of pride, greed, or ingrained selfishness or stubbornness keeps us clinging to our ‘cloaks’ when the Lord would exchange them with garments of praise? What is He nudging us to cast off in repentance, generosity, or honor, for His sake today? (Isaiah 61:3; Jeremiah 18:11-12; Colossians 3:5-17)

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.” ~ Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)

Amen, Lord, amen!

“Jeremiah… said to all the people: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,.. I am bringing upon this city and all its towns all the disaster I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.’”

“Now Pashhur the priest… heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,.. beat Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks… Jeremiah said to him,.. ‘Thus says the Lord: I will make you a terror… I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall… strike them down with the sword. I will give… all the treasures of Judah into the hand of their enemies… And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die…”

“O Lord,..
you are stronger than I,
    and have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
    everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak,..
    I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’
The word of the Lord has become…
    a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,’
there is in my heart… a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot.
I hear many whispering.
    Terror is on every side!
‘Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
    say all my close friends…
‘We can… take our revenge on him.’
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
    therefore my persecutors will stumble;
    they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
    for they will not succeed…
O Lord of hosts,..
to you have I committed my cause.

“Sing to the Lord;
    praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
    from the hand of evildoers.” Jeremiah 19:14-20:13

“The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.” Exodus 15:3

Jeremiah was a stalwart, faithful prophet whose obedience to God resulted in much misery from men. They refused his warnings, rejecting the Lord they could not see and him whom they could see and persecute. As his call and anointing were clear, so would continue his trust in the heavenly Warrior who defended him. (Jeremiah 1:4-9; 18:5-23)

The challenge of obedience is a varied struggle. Sometimes we combat doing what the Lord commands because our will wants otherwise. But sometimes, we resist His direction because of where it takes us with other people and circumstances. It provokes criticism, or ostracism. It might mean we lose friends, or lose face. While the pain of obedience teaches us spiritual identification with Christ, in the physical world, it does not make life easy. Jeremiah’s cause was fixed in his sure hope that while he might suffer, God was Warrior alongside and ultimate Victor. (Philippians 3:10)

The battles we face- of dread, fear, isolation, shame- the Lord Jesus has already won. He stands at our side as the Shield roundabout us, relentlessly fighting for us, never letting down, never surrendering, always triumphant. We can keep on because when He calls, He equips and stands sentry as our dread Warrior. (Psalm 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Where have I been asked to go, or what to do, that presents hardship, or a friction of faith? Am I more focused on the problematic issues, or the One who called? How can I step forward in obedience, trusting and revering my Warrior?

Lord, keep my cause, my trust, my praise, in Thee alone.

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars…

“Thus says the Lord:
‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man
    and makes flesh his strength,
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
    and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
    in an uninhabited salt land.

“’Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.’

The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
‘I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.'” Jeremiah 17:1,5-10

Isaiah addresses a people who had been provided with God’s riches, yet gone after strange gods. They, as all people from the beginning of time, faced the recurring decision of how to handle God’s commands and gifts, and thus affect the trajectory of their lives. The Lord repeatedly made a distinction between the blessings and curses that would follow man’s choices, and His people had made theirs. Rebellion, rejection, idolatry, and wasting of God’s offered bounty left them weak, dry, and fruitless. Even so, the merciful Lord offered the blessedness of trusting Him anew. (Genesis 2:16-17; Deuteronomy 11:26-32; Joshua 24:15)

Barren desert shrub or lush tree? Every small decision, every investment of affection, every expenditure of time takes and yields something. We are affected by what we entertain, and reap what we sow with our talents and hours. Do we want to flourish with fruitfulness, joy, and peace, or languish in drought, waste, and anxiety? (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; Galatians 6:7-9)

Daily we face choices how to build our lives, whose voice we will heed, where to put time and energy to use, what company we will keep. Blessedness from the Lord comes from consistent delight in Him and living out His word. Do we nurture and guard our foundation of truth, or sample every new idea the world offers? Whose enticements do we entertain? How carefully do we tend our involvements to keep them healthy and aligned with the Lord’s will?

Will we ask the Lord to show us what changes need be made to become a strong tree? Unless we feed on Him and remain close to His care and partake of His living water, we will wither away like shrubs. (John 7:37-38)

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Psalm 1:1-4

Father, let me never waste Your resources, but thrive to Your glory.

“You know my reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.” Psalm 69:19

“Be to me a rock of refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress...
 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
    you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you...

My mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.

But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
    who sought to do me hurt.” Psalm 71:3,5-6,8-9,14-21,24

Considering his many years with the Lord, the psalmist sings a song both plaintive and petitionary. His words acknowledge both calamity and comfort, troubles and great deeds, frailty and faithfulness as they praise God’s constancy in matching his every care and need. He who had been his trust from youth would be his trust forever. Continually he had come, and continually he would hope in this righteous, great God.

There is nothing like a life lived long with Jesus. No experience compares with a history imprinted with His faithful presence and loving care. As our rock and trust, He envelops our hearts, fortifies our faith, laces our words, speckles our view, and stands sentry over present concerns and future unknowns. Those who continually come to Him are blessed with continual hope, which is an invaluable gift for generations that follow.

How steadfastly do we lean on the Lord who knows us perfectly? In our every reproach, have we known His sympathy? In shame, His forgiveness? In pain, His balm? In wonderment, His teaching? In weariness, His revival? God’s mighty deeds on our behalf are ours to treasure and pass on to future generations. (Psalm 69:9; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 1:9)

What is my song today? To whom will I proclaim God’s wondrous, trustworthy acts? In what promises will I put my hope?

Lord, keep me continually coming, hoping, and telling so many will know, trust, and praise You.

“The twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty…’  They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus… These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people… Then some… rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking… And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and… seized him and brought him before the council…  And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel…

“When they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him… As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'” Acts 6:2-3,5-10, 12,15; 7:54-60

Stephen is noted in the Scriptures for being filled with the Holy Spirit. His powerful presence manifested itself in Stephen’s servant’s heart, his wisdom, faith, persuasion, and angelic countenance. The Spirit who had saved him dwelt within and filled him to the end, expressed in his clear, bold articulation of truth and uncanny, gracious forgiveness of his murderers.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is ongoing, often undetected or unappreciated, always potent. When we’re saved unto salvation, we receive Him as a guarantee of eternal life and our very present help, comfort, goad, teacher, power, and peace. He indwells us and makes His mark in various areas of our lives as we avail ourselves of His influence. Our trouble is that we forget Him. He sanctifies as we cooperate by yielding to His transforming work, and resides still when we ignore His activity and available power. (John 14:16-17,26-27; 16:8,13-15,33; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14)

Do we enjoy moments with God, visits to church or quick prayers in Jesus’s name, and neglect the Spirit who always abides within? Where have we forsaken His power, forgotten our great potential to conform to His will, resist sin, exercise our gifts effectively, love well, discern, overcome evil with good, think rightly, serve with gusto? Where are we professing Christ but not manifesting His Spirit? Regular filling with and by the Spirit affects everything. (Romans 12; Ephesians 5:18)

Lord, this day, may Your Spirit make an eternal difference in all I think, say, and do.

“Simon had practiced magic… and amazed the people.., saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention.., saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great…^‘ But when they believed Philip as he preached about… Jesus Christ, they were baptized… Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip…

“When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also…’ Peter said,.. ‘You thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!.. Your heart is not right before God.  Repent…’ Simon answered, ‘Pray for me…’

“An Ethiopian eunuch, a court official,.. had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot,.. reading Isaiah… Philip ran to him… and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?..’ Then Philip.., beginning with this Scripture, told him about Jesus.” Acts 8:9-10,12-13,18-22a,24a,27-28,30-31,35

Following the early church’s growth traces individuals scattering abroad and coming along. While the disciples had spent days on months on years with Jesus, new converts were learning of faith in Him for the first time. Initial belief sparked inquisitive conversations, reordered mindsets, and eventual revamped lifestyles. By the Holy Spirit and over time, new converts grew further and deeper in conformity to Christ-likeness. Understanding, outlook, and priorities did not all change immediately, but change they did as the church caught fire.

God’s people have different experiences with salvation. For some, the awakening is drastic; for others, gradual. The Lord’s work of conviction and conversion is individual and exquisite, always according to His grace and sovereign plan. Our responsibility is to heartily submit to His work in our own lives, and zealously take part in others’ journeys as He leads.

To be prideful at our maturity is to demean His grace, and to be impatient at another’s pace is to be focusing on the wrong thing. He chooses whom He will and executes according to His divine timetable. It is our privilege as believers to yield to His sanctification personally and to participate in His wider work at His bidding. (Acts 9:10-20)

What is our attitude toward those young in faith? Are we critical at their slowness to ‘get it’ or to change as we see fit? Do we nitpick at opinions and lifestyle choices without taking time to understand or address their origins? Do we expect immediate maturity when they have no biblical foundation or example? How willing are we to risk expending the time, energy, and attention to come alongside in love to teach, lead, and support them as they grow? (Acts 10:19-24,34-48)

Are we developing ourselves? Have we come to a standstill in our understanding and exercise of faith, checking off rote devotion? Have we stagnated spiritually, grown cold toward rich fellowship, learning, deepening in Christ-likeness, serving to build up the church? Do we even care about the spiritual vibrancy of Christ’s Body in the dark world? How will we endeavor to grow through specific confession, prayer, and practice? (Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 3:14-19; Philippians 2:12-16; Hebrews 10:22-25; 1 John 1:9)

God works by His Spirit in and through His people to conform us to His image and grow His church. How will we participate?

Father, keep me ever going further and deeper with You, to the strengthening of Your church and magnification of Your glory.

“The angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress... The angel  appeared to him and said, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.’  And Gideon said to him, ‘Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.’  The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?’  And he said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’  And the Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.'” Judges 6:11-16

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.'” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Gideon began his conversation with the angel of the Lord warily: if the Lord was indeed with him, why was Israel being oppressed? When the angel gave him a charge, he at first demurred, claiming insignificance and incapability. The Lord persisted. His power would be in the call and in His presence. Gideon, drawn by the Spirit of God, sought confirmation, acknowledged and worshiped God, and began to obey in faith. Bringing each doubt and need to the Lord enabled him to experience His divine answers and sufficiency. (Judges 6:17-28,33-40)

We get into habits of making plans, structuring time to fulfill personal desires and strategies. We get used to beating out our wheat and not tuning in to interruptions, different considerations, or changes of course. We go about our days with limited faith because it is not required when we are driving. When God does show up and call us to a new assignment, we often object due to unease in the unknown.

Yet, when we continue steadfastly on routine paths with ears open to God, we can be drawn into conversing with Him through ordinary means. His Spirit draws us to attention, speaks through His word, responds to our stated limitations, and urges us forward. If we want to stride and strive in His flow, we must reject our objections, and obey.

Where is the Lord asking us to step out anew, trusting ‘I will be with you’ as enough? What already-made decision needs to be fully executed? What difficult conversation needs to take place? What habit needs putting away once for all? What new assignment are we to seize in faith?

What objections do we have for the Lord’s directives at present? What excuses for disobedience or procrastination do we claim? How can we change the conversation? We can converse with the Lord and decide to say no, or we can risk our comfort, yield our will, and say yes to the great adventure of obedience. (Exodus 3:7-12; 4:10-13)

Lord, help me say a wholehearted, unequivocal yes to You always.

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.”

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps…  

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away…  And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 24:42-47; 25:1-4,13,14-15,20-21

Jesus parables gave many illustrations of the importance of vigilance in the Christian life. If His children would ultimately answer to Him, they needed to practice care and stewardship of His gifts in expectancy of facing Him. To settle for the status quo would bring loss, to be prepared and industrious would bring gain. His children had choices every day for whom and how they would live. (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 John 3:2-3)

Vigilance is required if we are to remain filled with the Spirit and fruitful in utilizing our resources for Christ’s sake. We cannot let up defending our mindset against spiritual and physical sloth. To be watchful, expectant, active stewards, we need daily focus and God’s priorities, which He generously gives when we ask. We must be diligent to set minds and efforts God-ward, not inward.

What is our soul’s aim each day? If we are not wont to serve the Lord’s purposes and bring Him glory, would we ask for a change of motive and drive? How carefully and effectively do we use the gifts God’s entrusted to us? Is our compulsion to employ our means to spread His light and expand His kingdom, or to spend on ourselves, for personal satisfaction? (Matthew 25:34-40)

Where have we settled for narrow, careless living? What will it take to get out of ourselves, our ruts of ease and temporal pleasure and wrong thinking? The enemy relentlessly works to turn us inward, make us complacent, keep us distracted, and waste resources. Ruthless repentance, vigilant faithfulness, and sound wisdom will guard and guide our choices.

Oh God, keep me keenly looking for and actively serving you with all I am, for your glory and ends.