Prayer
Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 112:1,5 & 7
Holy Spirit, awaken in me a sense of loving awe towards the Father;
Cause me to delight in His commands;
Teach me to be generous and just in all I do;
And make my heart secure as I trust in Him. Amen.
Reading
In today’s parable, Jesus teaches us the importance of doing our best to serve God faithfully with the resources, talents and abilities He has entrusted to us.
The parable helps us to recognise that each of us is different. God has designed us uniquely as individuals. God has placed us in different families, work environments and social circles. We have been given different natural aptitudes and abilities, and each of us has received a different set of spiritual gifts. In others words, God knows us perfectly and has given each of us different resources with which to serve Him in exactly the way He knows is right for us. So, God does not expect us all to serve Him in identical ways or with identical fruitfulness. He wants each of us to serve Him in our own unique way – the way for which He has “wired us” and resourced us.
God simply expects us to take what He has entrusted to us and use it to serve His purposes and to extend His Kingdom to the best of our ability, without making excuses or avoiding the task at hand. As the apostle Peter would later write in 1 Peter 4:10
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.“
That is exactly the point of this parable!
Today, give thanks to God for the unique way He has positioned, gifted and empowered you to serve Him. Consider whose life He is calling you to impact. Consider how He wants you to be a blessing to them. Consider who you can encourage, comfort or strengthen in His Name. Consider which needs you can meet in His power. Consider how has he shaped and resourced you to serve Him today. And then let’s get out there and get it done, so that one day we too will hear those beautiful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!“
Contemplation
Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn one or more of these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ:
- I will identify what I can do for the Lord with the resources He has given me.
- I will do that with all my heart!
Holy Spirit, inspire me to get out there today and serve the Lord my God with everything I am and everything I have. Amen.
Dave's Diary 